with you
by StopBreakingMyHeartTellTale
Summary: [REUPLOAD] Clementine pops the question, Louis has nightmares, Violet can't let go of the past, Mitch doesn't know how to handle gross feelings, Ruby's a goddamn sweetheart, Willy doesn't ever remember to knock, Aasim can't dance, and James is here, too. Nothing like a wedding to bring this family together.
1. Chapter 1

Note: For any questions you may have regarding the old version of [with you] and why it was taken down or why there are new scenes, you can go to my tumblr and read this post: /post/188119348555/hi-i-noticed-with-you-isnt-on-ao3-anymore. If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a message on there.

Anyway, this is the first revamped chapter of [with you] and I hope y'all enjoy it! Thank you for reading! :D

* * *

A supply run to the train stationed was a spur of the moment decision.

While finishing up their morning hunting trip- checking and resetting traps, hunting adult rabbits and capturing any babies for their ever-growing rabbit farm- it seemed their duties were done. Just as they were ready to head back, Louis mentioned it wasn't too far away.

"Up for a little adventure?"

Given that they've torn the place apart, Clementine wasn't sure if it's really an adventure to travel that way anymore, but AJ was more than willing to go back and look around.

She figured it wouldn't be so awful to go and collect anything they might've missed from their previous trips, though she felt this was more of an excuse to stay out longer, to enjoy the cool air and each other's company.

Aasim deemed it a waste of time, choosing to take back everything they collected and meet up with Mitch and Willy, mumbling something about repairing one of the gates.

Up ahead, but not too far, Louis tells some crazy, exaggerated story as AJ hangs on to every word. Something about Aasim and a shark, she gathers. It's ridiculous enough to make her rolls her eyes but smile all the same, especially when AJ calls him out on absurd details.

"Aasim doesn't have a peg leg!"

"Or _does he_? Tell me this, has anyone actually ever seen Aasim's bare leg? No, and that's because it's a peg stuffed into a boot."

"No, it's not!"

Clementine spots a walker lingering in the trees from the corner of her eye, its head twitching with interest at the sound of the boys' laughter.

It's the first one she's spotted today, likely due to James doing his part of their arrangement.

They worked out a decent system when first offering him a place to stay; anywhere they plan to hunt or scavenge, they let James know in advance so he can gather and lead stray walkers away, making trips a lot easier and quicker. In exchange, he's welcome to stay in a room and eat with them whenever he wants.

He rarely stays multiple nights in a row, but Clementine's glad to see him and the others get along when he does stick around.

She picks up a large rock and chucks it. The walker follows the noise with a low gurgle.

The decrepit train station is empty.

The dead couple remains as left; slumped over, tied to their chairs, and still holding hands.

They try and gather as much as they can, like salvageable, leftover food hidden beneath the trap door, duct tape and a few bandages. Clementine finds a working lighter beneath the table, stuffing it in her pocket as heavy thump vibrates behind her.

"Oh-ho!" Louis calls out from behind the counter. "Looks like I found your secret stash."

Clementine quirks a brow, leaning over the counter to peer down at him. He flashes her a bright smile and waves a beaten up chocolate bar.

"Seriously?" When she tries to reach for it, he teasingly jerks it away.

"I don't think so, darling," he pockets the bar. "Gotta save stuff like that for a special occasion."

"Special occasion," she scoffs. "Like?"

"Like when it's your birthday, or if it's someone else's birthday and you forgot to get them a present," Louis glances away, shrugging a shoulder with a sheepish grin, "or, y'know, for date night."

"Date night, huh?"

"Woah..."

From behind her, AJ shuffling around the dead couple, unfolding something small and gray. Upon a closer look, Clementine can tell it's a wallet, and from it, AJ pulls out a five-dollar bill.

"Look at that," Louis approaches the boy with a grin, "looks like dinner's on AJ."

"Huh?"

Louis takes the wallet and pulls out some credit cards. "By the looks of it, we're getting a three-course meal."

"With extra dessert," Clementine smiles.

"Triple dessert."

"_Quadruple_ dessert."

"Now, _that's _what I'm talking about!"

AJ looks between the two of them, clearly confused. "I don't get it."

Louis goes to explain, but something small falls from the wallet with a soft thump. A plastic casing preserves a photo with handwriting on the back and a bent corner.

"Oh."

"What is it?" AJ asks.

Louis holds up the picture, motioning to the couple. "It's, uhm... their wedding photo."

"Wedding photo?" AJ studies the picture. Clementine moves around them to look as well.

It's jarring, the idea that the young couple are the same people as the decaying bodies in the chairs before them. They're both so clean and happy with wide smiles and life in their bright eyes.

The woman's beautiful, Clementine thinks, with her hair braided back into a bun of curls and her cheeks a pretty pink. Her dress glows white with glittering details, and the diamond ring is visible on her hand resting against her husband's chest.

"They look..." AJ's mouth twists as he searches for the right words.

"Happy?" Louis offers.

"Well, yeah, they're smiling, but..." AJ looks at the dead bodies. "I don't know. It's weird. Why're they dressed like that?"

Louis laughs, "Well, little dude, back before the walkers came, people used to get married. It was a pretty big deal, and when they did, they'd have a wedding. Think of it like a huge party with lots and lots of people to celebrate the couple's marriage."

"Okay," AJ says. He takes the photo and studies it. "What does that mean? To be married?"

"Uh, well," Louis scratches his neck, "it's what people used to do to prove they really loved each other, I guess. It was, like, this big step to take to marry someone and call them your wife, or your husband."

"Everyone did it?"

"No, not everyone."

"How come?"

"Uh, well," Louis says, "it wasn't for everyone, I guess."

"But anyone _could_ do it?"

"I think so."

"Even me?" asks AJ. "I can get married?"

Clementine smiles. "You're a little young for that right now."

AJ frowns and crosses his arms. "How old do I gotta be?"

"Well, there isn't really a set age-"

"And I can marry who I want?"

"Yes, but," Clementine shoots Louis a glance, looking for help with an explanation. He shrugs a shoulder in response, clearly amused. "It's not something people do anymore."

"Why not? I mean, you just throw a party. We've done that before. And I can marry whoever I love? Like you, right?"

At that, Louis laughs. Clementine sighs. "Uh..."

"Marriage wasn't for that kind of love, buddy," Louis says, "it's a bit more complicated than that." He puts the picture back into the wallet and tucks it into the dead man's pocket. "These two didn't love each other like you and Clem do. They got married because..." Louis' smile almost turns sad, "they were in love, as a couple."

"Oh..." AJ thinks, "oh, like a_ kissing_ love."

"A kissing love," Louis agrees. "Exactly."

He winks at Clementine, making her roll her eyes and suppress a smile.

"Like you and Clem?"

Warmth rushes to Clementine's cheeks as a loud, nervous laugh escapes Louis.

Before AJ can ask his next question, there's a soft bang against the door. The conversation's forgotten as they glance among themselves, silently telling each other to stay on their guard, get low and carefully maneuver to the door.

AJ peeks out the window, confirming their suspicions.

"Monster."

Clementine nods. "Just one?"

"Looks like it."

They all stand, relaxing a little. The door's closed, so one walker isn't a threat.

Louis hauls a hefty bag over his shoulder. "Well, I think we've gotten all we can get," he says. "We should head back."

"Right."

Louis hesitates, glancing back at the walker couple. It's quick, but she catches it. The look in his eyes is like whenever someone mentions Marlon or Brody or other fallen classmates, or whenever he brings up his parents in passing. Almost a sad nostalgia, with maybe some pity and longing. She hasn't quite deciphered that one yet.

Regardless, it's gone when he turns back to AJ, Chairles in hand, saying, "Think we can take that deadhead?"

Clementine remains behind as they go, the crack and squelsh of the walker skull being struck echoing from outside as she approaches the couple, glancing down at the man's rotten hand entwined with his wife's.

He still has his ring on.

"Clem?"

"...Coming."

* * *

It stuck with her for the rest of the day.

From when they entered the gates of the school again, continued with their daily chores, all throughout dinner, to now sitting on the couch with Louis in front of the burning firepit. His arm rests comfortably behind her as he chats with Omar, allowing her to lean back into his shoulder and chest.

From what she could tell, he wasn't thinking about it, and neither was AJ.

He let the conversation of marriage go after Louis moved onto another topic. She knew he was trying to avoid the obvious question on AJ's mind to spare everyone the awkwardness.

_"Like you and Clem?"_

Like Louis and her...

Marriage isn't something she thinks about. Not truly, anyway.

Sure, there had been that dumb "marry, 'flip', kill" question that seemed to come up during their card games, and sure, from all the groups she'd been in, some had married couples.

Like Kenny and Katjaa.

Christa and Omid.

David and Kate.

Rebecca and Alvin.

And before the walkers, her parents had been married. Happily married with little to no problems.

She doesn't remember a lot about them, but some things stood out in her brain when she concentrated hard enough.

Like how her father would always kiss her mother's cheek before going to work and after coming home. It didn't matter if she was cooking, or still in bed, or working on a project, or on the phone, he always kissed her. It was like some unspoken rule.

And how they laughed together. Her father had this deep, rumbling voice that practically shook the house when he laughed, and his laugh only made her mother laugh harder.

And the cute names they called each other.

Sweetheart. That's what her father called her mother.

Sweetheart.

But, marriage isn't something that stuck in her brain, not something she actively thinks about.

Seeing that wedding photo, the couple who chose to die together tied to those chairs, and actually talking about it, hearing Louis talk about it, seeing him look back at them the way he did... it stuck with her.

And-

Something lightly tugs as her hair, breaking her thoughts. She cranks her neck to look up at Louis as he pulls something from the messy ponytail of her hair.

"Sorry, you had some grass there," he grins, holding up a green stem before flicking it away. "Figured you wouldn't notice with how zoned out you were. Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere."

"You went somewhere."

"I was just enjoying the fire."

"Hm," Louis nods before reaching up to tip the hat off her head. "Here, turn around."

She shifts around with her back to him and hat in hand as Louis, as gently as possible, frees the purple band from her hair. His long fingers attempt to comb through the absolute mess of curls, and if she weren't so used to him doing this by now, she'd be embarrassed by the disaster placed upon her head.

"Haven't heard from James in a while," Louis mentions. "Didn't see him out there, either."

"There were barely any walkers today, so he's out there somewhere. Probably in his camp."

"He does know that he as a bed here, right?" Louis begins braiding her thick locks, weaving chucks of curls the best he can, "I mean, it's nothing fancy, but it has to be better than sleeping on the ground. Or in a tree."

"Maybe you should tell him that," she suggests with the hint of a grin, glancing back at him with a perked brow.

Louis chuckles. "Yeah, because_ I'm_ gonna get through to him." He jerks his chin over to the tables where Mitch and Willy sit together with Ruby and Aasim. "If you and Mitch can't convince him to stay permanently, then I'm afraid no one ever will."

Louis ties off the braid, placing it over her shoulder to look at.

He's gotten better at this. The first time he ever braided her hair, it was, for lack of a better term, very ugly.

Aasim was appalled upon seeing it, insisting he shows Louis how it's done. Which was a bizarre thing to learn about him- Aasim could braid hair quickly and beautifully.

Since then, Louis' skills have improved immensely.

Facing him again, she smiles, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you."

He goes to speak, but Ruby's approaching figure catches their attention.

"Ya got watch, Lou," she jerks her thumb back at the post. "You and Aasim."

"Aw, seriously?" Louis pouts, which quickly turns into a smirk. "Hey, wanna switch? I can take your morning shift and you can go with Aasim tonight?"

"Nope," Ruby shakes her head, pointing back at the tower. "Get goin.'"

Louis slouches, mumbling quietly, "I tried, my dude..."

"Don't keep 'im waitin'."

"Yeah, yeah," Louis stands, reaching his arms high over his head to stretch out his body. He lets out a satisfied groan as they fall back to his sides. "I'll be there in a second."

Ruby nods before walking off.

His foot taps hers. "Guess I'll see you tonight," he says, leaning forward. His fingers caress her jawline as he lightly pulls her towards him and places a quick, soft kiss on her lips. "I'll try not to wake you."

"Goodnight," is all Clementine can muster up to say.

"Goodnight."

He leaves her with a smile.

And as she watches him walk away, twirling the end of the braid around her finger, it occurs to her with a single, strange thought.

_I want to marry that boy._

* * *

Clementine tries to fall asleep, but she's restless. She doesn't know how long she's laid there, but no position, no angle allows sleep to take her.

AJ snores quietly in his bed on the other side of the room, and Louis still won't be back for a few hours, leaving her with nothing but a near-silent room and noisy thoughts.

It's maddening.

Not bothering to gather her boots or grab her hat, she tiptoes out of bed and slips out, quietly closing the door behind her to not disturb AJ.

Footsteps thump against the wooden floors causing her to turn, alert and listening.

Violet keeps her eyes forward as she walks down the hall, not giving Clementine any acknowledgment as if she were nothing but the door itself.

Clementine watches her, a greeting caught in her throat that she pushes down.

By now, she knows better.

To say it'd been awful between the two of them ever since the delta fight two years ago would be an understatement. She still can't even breathe in Violet's direction without getting 'fuck you' eyes, and talking was completely out of question. Not that Clementine didn't still try, but it seems that Violet's determined to keep herself in the shadows of the school.

She's gotten a little better, though. Two years ago, she'd only talk to Tenn and Louis. As time went on, she expanded her daily communications to Ruby, Omar, and Aasim.

Not her, though.

Louis once tried to help them patch things up.

It didn't go over well.

Clementine tries to put it out of her mind as she moves down the opposite direction. Down by the entrance doors, grumbles echo through the quiet air where she finds Ruby grimacing at something in her hands.

"Hey," she greets.

"Oh, Clem," Ruby smiles. "Thought you went off ta bed?"

"Can't sleep."

Ruby expression softens. "Bad dreams?"

"No."

"AJ snorin' too loud?"

Clementine chuckles. "No, I'm just not tired, I guess."

"Ah, well, ya wanna help me fix Willy's shirt?" she holds up a dirty blue shirt with a tear along the side. "Got it caught again and didn't bother stopin' to untangle himself."

"Sure."

Clementine kept the shirt still and flattened against the table while Ruby goes to work.

"Wish that runt would be more careful," she murmurs, "always tearing his clothes up. What'll happen if he ruins all of 'em? That boy'll be in nothin' but rags here pretty quick."

"You could have him sew his own stuff."

Ruby scoffs. "Yeah, right."

Clementine watches her steady hand as she sews in comfortable silence. Being around Ruby like this is peaceful. The two had gotten close over the years, and for that, she's grateful. She adores Ruby.

"So, somethin's got you wanderin' around this late. What's on yer mind?"

Clementine hesitates, thoughts going back to earlier at the train station, as well as racking her brain for any time she's ever talked "romance" with the girl before her. Aside from a few comments about her and Louis, nothing sticks out.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, hon."

"Have you ever liked someone? Like, had a crush?"

The redness on her cheeks brightens as Ruby blinks down at her needlework, processing just what the question entails. "I-uh- what in the world are ya askin' me that for?"

"Just curious if anyone ever caught your fancy," Clementine replies. She didn't think the question would actually make her flustered.

Ruby pokes herself with the needle, hissing a cuss.

"Well," she says, "hate ta disappoint you, but no."

"Never?"

Ruby shakes her head. "Nu-uh."

Clementine thinks back to Aasim and Louis' constant teasing of the poor boy.

"You don't like anyone here like that? Not even a little?"

Ruby hesitates.

"No."

She finishes sewing up the shirt and holds it up in front of her.

"Why the sudden question?" she asks.

"I don't know," Clementine answers honestly. "Just was curious, I guess."

Ruby shifts her weight onto one foot and scratches at her arm. After an awkward silence, she sighs.

"Well... alright, can ya keep a secret?"

Clementine perks up, nodding, "Yeah, of course."

"Don't get excited. He, uh... he's not real."

"What?"

Ruby's blush deepens. "Sometime after all the adults left, I had a hard time sleepin' at night. Ms. Martin was startin' ta worry 'bout me. She told me I should try readin', it'll take my mind offa everything, and I remember tellin' her how stupid that was. But..." Ruby sighs, "I still let her read ta me before bed one night. A love story called 'The Woodsman.' Well, kinda a love story. She read it so well and," she grins sheepishly, "I guess I kinda fell in love with Milo."

Clementine smiles back. "Yeah? Why's that?"

"Milo's this handsome woodsman doin' everythin' he can to help support him and his family, right. He's kind, like, genuinely kind. And the way he describes and talks about Abigail just is enough ta melt your heart. Or make ya cry, mostly both."

"Do they end up together?"

"No- Well, sorta? Ya see, Abigail's taken and forced ta live on top this big 'ol mountain by this old, ugly witch as punishment fer Milo killin' one of her wolves- uh, it makes more sense when ya read it," she explains, running her fingers over the fresh stitching in Willy's shirt, her mouth twisting. "Milo tries and tries again ta climb the mountain and save her, but every time he gets a little bit closer, he slips and tumbles down."

"Shit."

"Everything he does, he does it fer her. To free her of that witch's cruelty. And the crazy part's that he doesn't even know if she loves him back. He don't care if she does or not, he keeps climbin' anyway and it eventually kills him," Ruby shakes her head. "Never makes it back to Abigail."

"That's... awful."

"Can't tell ya how many times that part's made me cry," Ruby laughs dryly, "and it's even worse 'cause as he's laying at the bottom dyin', he's still thinkin' 'bout how only he knows she's up there and only he can save her and... he dies. He dies and becomes a star."

"A star?"

"In the sky. High up there and he watches and protects her from the witch until eventually, Abigail dies, too."

"And becomes a star, right?"

Ruby nods. "Right."

She folds up Willy's shirt neatly, draping it over her arm.

"After we lost Ms. Martin, I went through some of her things and found the book. Can't tell ya how many times I've read it. Guess I always liked the idea of someone lovin' me that much, enough ta fall down a mountain over and over again just ta save me. It's justa silly fairytale, 'cause I know someone like that doesn't exist, but… thinkin' they do still helps me sleep at night."

"That's not silly," Clementine grins. "I think it's really sweet."

"Don't tell anyone," Ruby smirks. "Don't want 'em ta think I'm too soft."

Clementine laughs. "I won't."

Ruby's gaze falls as she mulls over something, something sorrowful passing over her brow. Clementine nudges her.

"Hey, you'll find your Milo someday."

"...Ya think so?"

"I do."

With a sincere, thankful grin, she says, "Well, sorry I blabbered so much. Think it's time I hit the hay. Thanks fer helpin' me and... fer listenin.'"

"Thanks for sharing that with me. It sounds like a good read."

"I'd let you borrow it if ya want."

"I think I'd like that."

Ruby beams at her, smile wide across her face. She gathers all her things and is just about to walk back to her room when Clementine stops her.

"Ruby?"

"Hm?"

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Don't hafta," Ruby says. "Just 'cause I shared, I mean."

"I know."

"Well, alright, then."

Clementine hesitates, and in a whisper, she says, "I think I'm in love with Louis."

Ruby laughs. "Oh, hon, that ain't no secret," she grins, "it's all over yer face when yer together. His, too."

"No, I mean...I really love him." Clementine laughs again, this time feeling silly herself. "Y'know, if Louis were cursed by some witch and put on top of a mountain, I'd never stop climbing to get him back. Is that crazy?"

"No," Ruby walks toward her, reaching down to grab her hands. "Not at all."

"Really?"

"Really," Ruby says firmly. "In fact, you should tell him that."

"Yeah?" Clementine smirks. "'Hey, Louis, by the way, if you ever happen to get cursed and kidnapped by a witch, I promise to save you.'"

That makes Ruby giggle. "Well, if any one of us were ta get cursed, it'd probably be him."

They laugh together now.

"Does he already know? You ever tell him how much you love 'im?"

"I have," Clementine says. "Lots."

"Good. Ya never know in this world... don't want any more regrets than we already got."

"I know. Believe me, I know."

* * *

He shouldn't still be thinking about it, but he is.

Even now, up on the watchtower looking over the silent forest, Louis thinks about all the times he, Clementine, and AJ have gone back to the train station, trying to remember if he ever stopped to actually look at the walker couple hunched over in their chairs together.

No, he barely paid them a glance once he knew they were taken care of.

Now, they're all he can think about.

"You're quiet," Aasim mentions, lowering his binoculars and paying him a side glance.

"And you're observant," he retorts without missing a beat.

Aasim's gaze falls down to the deck of cards in Louis' hands as he absently shuffles them, but says nothing more, rolling his eyes and turning back to peer through binoculars.

Watch is uneventful as always.

Not that he's complaining- it's what Louis prefers.

A calm, quiet night of watch is better than a night of being constantly on edge, panicking at an extreme increase of incoming walkers, or catching assholes trying to sneak in.

No, he appreciates the silence outside the walls.

It gives him time to think about things.

Back home- well, back in the old house he lived in before being sent away to Ericson, they had an incredible dining room on the first floor. Monochromatic, with dark hardwood floors and a glass chandelier above the dining table.

There was a fireplace, too. They only used it during the winter, but above the mantle hung a beautifully framed photo of his parents on their wedding day. Around the holidays, when the fire was ablaze and his jam-packed stocking hung from the mantle, his mom would string lights around the frame, the same lights trimming the rest of the room.

And for the life of him, Louis can't actually remember what the photo itself looked like, what his mother's wedding dress looked like or if his father had his beard or not. He can't even remember what color the background was.

The only thing he remembers about it is seeing it poke out of a cardboard box the morning he was being brought to Ericson, surrounded by several belongings packed away, ready for a move away from the freshly bare walls and empty fireplace.

Of course, all three of them were going in different directions.

He hasn't thought about that for a long time, but thumbing through the walker's wallet and seeing their wedding photo struck something.

His parents were happily married at one time, just like the walker couple. They fell in love, had a wedding, had him, and then everything went downhill from there, didn't it?

"Tomorrow, we should work on expanding the kennel for the rabbits," Aasim mentions. "We've got two who could have babies any day now."

"Lucy one of 'em?"

Aasim frowns. "Dude, I told you not to name them."

"I didn't. Willy did."

"...Wait, seriously?" Aasim sighs, rubbing at his brow. "I told Mitch to keep him away from them. They're not pets, they're food."

Leaning forward with his elbows against the wooden edge, Louis rubs his eyes and sighs.

He needs to stop thinking about this shit- his parents, marriage- it's all in the past and nothing will come out of letting it weigh on his mind.

He forces himself to think about how at the end of his shift, he gets to go back inside and up to his dorm where Clementine's waiting for him, then he'll get to climb in their warm bed and finally get some sleep.

Hopefully.

Shit, he needs a distraction.

"You even see anything out there?" he asks.

"No, everything's quiet."

"Good."

Moving closer to Aasim, Louis shuffles his deck of cards one last time before dealing out seven to Aasim and himself, setting the rest between them. Picking up his cards, he moves his fours all together and waits for Aasim to get the idea.

With a sigh, Aasim follows suit.

"Usual rules?"

"With a twist."

"Of course."

"Winner gets to ask the loser a question."

"Fine."

"Alright... got any fours?" Louis asks.

"Go fish."

"Damn."

He draws a card.

Aasim rearranges his cards, asking, "Got any sevens?"

"Double damn."

Louis hands him his seven.

"Nines?" Aasim asks.

"Go fish."

* * *

The night sky is a comfort compared to inside, the cool air offering more solace than her own bed.

Rubble crunches and kicks beneath as Violet drags her feet, her focus stuck on the cracked cement, fallen bricks, and the upcoming bell laying motionless on the side. It's rusted over from years of being left in the rain, a sickening metallic smell emanating off of it.

She comes to a stop, her gaze stuck without really looking at it, as if her thoughts have smeared her visual focus. Thinking back on it, there isn't a time where she remembers the bell actually being attached where it was meant to be. Not that it really matters. She's not here to admire the fallen bell and it's greater purpose, nor to mourn its untimely fall.

"Vi?"

She nearly jumps, whirling around to find Tenn watching her, his fingers twisting nervously and concern furrowing his brow.

"Shit, Tenn," she curses, fully facing him while crossing her arms over her chest. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm on patrol," he says, reaching into his pocket to proudly pull out his patrolling knife, the same one AJ uses when he walks around at night. "I saw you come out here and you looked mad."

"So you followed me without saying anything?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay," he offers a soft grin. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," she lies, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine."

He nods slowly but doesn't turn to leave, instead eying her over-sized coat and the bell she stands beside.

"It's a little cold out here. Why don't you come inside? It's late."

"I said I'm fine, Tenn. I'm just getting some fresh air."

"Then, do you want some company? I can take a break from patrol and go up there with you."

She knows he's trying. He's always trying with her, trying to get her to talk to him the way she used to or smile or… _something. _

Sometimes he as bad as Louis in that regard.

"No."

"Oh."

She hates to think it or feel it or whatever, but right now she can't deal with him. She can't deal with anybody. She can barely stand to look him in the eye and his voice gnaws at her eardrums, too loud and too damn concerned.

She just... really needs some quiet.

When he doesn't move or say anything else, Violet turns on her heels and approaches the stairs, only for him to call after her.

"Are you sure? I can climb up with you-"

"I said I'm fine, Tennessee," she snaps much harsher than intended. "Go back on patrol."

The effect of her words is instant in his soft, slightly hurt expression.

Fuck.

"Oh-okay," he stutters out, nodding. "Just- just be careful not to slip, and if you need anything..." he trails off, waiting for any type of response. When he doesn't get any, he turns and walks back the way he came, adding, "Goodnight, Vi."

She watches him go, wanting nothing more than to bang her head against the bell until it rings.

Why the hell did she have to do that? Why couldn't she just say, _"Thank you, Tenn, I would love the company" _or_ "Thank you, Tenn, but I want to be alone right now" _or-

It doesn't matter now. Tenn's gone, back on patrol and doing his best to protect them and the school from danger. She's proud of him for that, though she's never had the opportunity to tell him that.

No, that's a complete lie.

She's had plenty of opportunities. Every time she sees him practicing his bow with Willy or learning defensive strategies from AJ, she could easily walk over there and tell him how good he's doing.

But she doesn't, because each and every time those things happen, Clementine's there with him.

And that just-

Fuck.

A yawn builds up in her throat as she takes the first set of stairs to the wall. She shakes it off, beginning her climb to the top.

Another sleepless night that will undoubtedly lead to a deep sleep in the morning. Seems to be her usual schedule these days; complete daily tasks with as little issue as possible, eat dinner, retire early and pretend to try and fall asleep for the rest of the night until dawn breaks, then actually sleep until breakfast is long over.

It's not so bad when she has night watch, but tonight's not the case.

In fact, tonight's a completely different story.

She managed to fall asleep peacefully with a full belly and a relaxed state of mind, something that's rare even now. She'd been hopeful curled up in bed with the comforter wrapped around her, and that was stupid.

"Shit," she hisses when her foot slips, causing a short pang of panic in her gut before she catches her self, holding tight and waiting as Tenn's words repeat in her mind.

She wonders how long it would take them to find her body -her walker body- if she did fall, as morbid as that may be.

Deeming herself safe, she continues her climb.

It was a good dream.

Of course it was.

The one night she finds some peace and her own brain has to fuck it up with false, happy realities. On top of it all, she crossed paths with Clementine on her way here and that made everything worse.

Now it's all she can think about.

The mere sight of her pisses Violet off.

Though, at this point in her life, she's not even sure if she can accurately pinpoint _why_. They haven't spoken- _really_ spoken- in nearly two years but the pain is still present in every second she's near and Violet can't stand it. She refuses to stand it.

Never again.

The breeze is stronger at the top, sweet against her face and through her hair. It's one of her favorite feelings to be up here alone beneath the stars, the wind calming and the sight breathtaking.

Planting herself down in her usual spot, Violet takes a few deep breaths and pulls off her jacket, digging around in the pockets for her notebook and an old green glitter pen.

The notebook isn't traditional in style, but completely handmade with loose leaf paper sewn together and her name decorating the cover. It was a gift she received two years ago from Tenn, Aasim, and Ruby when everything seemed to finally calm down after the delta.

It's a gift that she's held onto earnestly, one that she used regularly, one that she needed.

Aasim said it was for her thoughts because "writing's easier than talking sometimes," and that's one hell of an understatement.

She refused to write in it at first, knowing that once she did, everything that happened would become more real and the weight of that would crush her into dust. It wasn't until that fight with Louis that she began writing in it, listing a number of ways she could possibly apologize to him.

Now, it contained everything; memories, different constellations she found in the night sky, thoughts, observations, mini diary entries…

Sometimes she wrote about her parents, her grandma. Sometimes she wrote about the others, sometimes she wrote about Louis, about Minnie, about Tenn.

Sometimes she wrote about Clementine.

Sometimes… she wrote about the delta, the interrogation room, about the cold water, the walkers, the explosion…

And sometimes, she tore pages out and tried to forget.

Opening up to the next blank page, Violet draws a series of dots representative of stars before connecting them in the shape of two birds. Next to one, she draws a speech bubble and writes, _"Fly away with me!"_

She sighs.

It was a good dream, far from a nightmare and somehow, that made it worse.

She and Minnie were in the fishing shack, lying on the bed and holding hands, talking in muffled, obscured voices. Everything around them was warped, but they were together without any chaos.

Violet always wanted to do that.

She always wanted to go there with Minnie, carve their initials on the wall together, then cuddle in bed while Minnie sang to her until the sun set. When night fell upon them, the need to be together kept them in that bed, even at the cost of worrying the others.

That never happened.

The closest Violet ever got to the fantasy was waking up early and going there by herself to carve the initials, then leading Minnie back as a surprise.

That was the first time they ever kissed.

But, that was it.

They grabbed their spears and went fishing.

The only thing memorable about the kiss is that it was her first. Quick and a little awkward, but enjoyable, she thinks.

Maybe.

Fuck, it was so long ago.

Violet rubs her face on the sleeve of her shirt, murmuring "stop" several times under her breath.

While being up here is calming and peaceful, now that she's sitting alone beneath these stars, Violet realizes just how lonely it can be.

Yeah, lonely.

It's fucked but it's nights like this that she wishes for the comfort of another beside her to talk to about this stuff, but when someone offers her it to her like Tenn did, she refuses it.

_Why?_

Because she actually longed for the comfort of a girl who aided in her suffering at the hands of an evil bitch hellbent of kidnapping as many as she could for her army? A girl who had a face she once loved but eyes as hollow as cold space itself and who was a lovely yet sorrowful memory she's held on to for far too long, but just can't seem to loosen her grasp of?

That comfort is a falsity, a pipe dream and she knows it.

No, she longed the comfort of friends who desperately want to help her no matter how much she pushes them away. Someone who understood the pain she felt and comforted her with beautiful art and kind words, or someone who saved her life and loved her and never stopped trying.

Someone there in the flesh who offered himself to her every day who she repeatedly turned away from.

Because isn't that who she is now…?

A person who craves the comfort of interaction but also flees from it the first chance she gets.

One big, stupid, fucking contradiction.

But at least she has the night sky, right?

No matter what, the moon and the stars would never truly leave, they'd come back to her every single night, and that's more than she could say for most.

* * *

Clementine's still awake when Louis sneaks in.

He tries his best to be quiet, stopping at the door to slip off his boots and jacket, tiptoeing around before slowly sliding into bed with her with a huff.

She lifts her head off the pillow, silently watching him rub at his tired eyes.

"Hey," she whispers.

"Shit," he curses, startled, but relaxes when she sits up on her elbows. "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," she sighs. "Been in and out."

Louis scoots closer to her so that her chin rests against his shoulder. He entwines their fingers, bringing their hands to rest against his chest.

He's freezing from being outside, so she yanks the blanket up closer to fully cover them, causing him to let out a content sigh.

"How was watch?" she asks.

"Same ol', same ol'," he replies. "Convinced Aasim to play go-fish with a twist 'til he got mad," he yawns. "Asked him when he's finally going to confess his undying love to Ruby and he threatened to throw my deck over the wall."

Clementine chuckles. "Sounds about right."

They find a pleasant position with her arm around his waist and her body pressed snug against his back. He kisses the back of her hand as his eyes flutter shut, the day's exhaustion catches up with him.

"Guess we're going to expand the kennel tomorrow," he says. "Lucy and another rabbit are going to have babies soon, so that'll be a lot of fun."

"Hmm."

"How was your night?"

"Better now."

The corner of his mouth twitches into a grin.

Their hands raise and fall with every breath he takes, and soon he's fast asleep. His heartbeat is soft against her hand, the rhythm a sweet lull. She keeps herself awake a little longer to make sure he remains peaceful.

She runs her thumb over his, thinking back to the couple in the train station, wondering what their last kiss was like, what their final words to each other were. She wonders if there were a lot of things left unspoken, things that wanted to be said, needed to be said.

She squeezes his hand and allows her eyes to rest.


	2. Chapter 2

When the sun's rays begin to bleed out over the school, Clementine's up and determined to find James.

AJ's already up, walking around on patrol or helping Omar with breakfast, she assumes.

Just as she's finishing up the laces of her boots, warmth runs across her back. With most of his face sunken into the pillow, Louis watches her through groggy, lidded eyes as his hand slips over her shoulder, down her arm, and grabs her wrist.

"Come back to bed, Darling."

Brushing a dread away from his face, she grins.

"Can't," she says softly. "I'm going out to find James."

"Hmm," he sighs. "Be careful."

"Always."

She leans over to press a light kiss on his cheek, pulling the blankets back over his shoulders. "Go back to sleep."

He doesn't need to be told twice, eyes drooping shut as he snuggles closer into his pillows, curling in on himself.

She leaves him in bed, figuring that he'll sleep in another couple of hours, long enough for her to find James and ask him for help.

The outside air nips at her skin uncomfortably, yet another sign of fall's ever-looming presence this time of year- chilly in the morning, sunny and agreeable during the day, chilly at night.

Soon, it'll be cold every moment, night and day.

Omar's cutting up fresh rabbit meat while AJ sturs the boiling stew with impeccable concentration. Mitch and Willy occupy one of the tables, tinkering with a broken flashlight.

"You're sure you put the batteries in right?" Willy asks, leaning over Mitch's workspace. "Maybe they're backward."

"They're not," Mitch scoffs, beating the light against his palm. "I know how batteries work."

"Yeah, but sometimes you don't look-"

"They're not backward."

Willy holds up his hands in mock surrender, backing away and biting his lip to suppress laughter from Mitch's grumbles.

Omar watches the boys, giving a usual roll of his eyes before depositing the rest of the rabbit into the stew, patting AJ's shoulder.

"Not too fast," he says, and AJ slows down, going at a more even pace in his stirring.

"Smells good," Clementine says, inhaling the ever-growing scent of breakfast as she approaches. "You showing Omar how it's done?"

"Yep," AJ grins. "He's a pretty fast learner."

"Taught me everything I know," Omar plays along with a shake of his head and another roll of his eyes. "Now, which spices do we use, master chef?"

While they're figuring out what to season the stew with, Clementine decides she doesn't have much time for breakfast. The morning has left her with a nervous stomach, one that shouldn't be tampered with lest she becomes sick.

"I'm heading out to find James," she announces. "I haven't seen him around and I want to make sure he's okay out there."

Mitch perks up, all attention on the flashlight now shifted to Clementine. He pushes back from the table and approaches her, asking, "You taking someone with you?"

"No, I'll be fine alone."

"No," AJ immediately protests, "you never go alone! That's the number one rule."

"Little dude's right," Mitch nods with an annoyed scowl, crossing his arms over his chest, but before he can say anything else, Clementine whistles.

Rosie comes running from her spot on the stairs, barking and wagging her tail gleefully.

"Fine, I can take Rosie," she says. "She could use a walk."

Mitch looks as though he wants to protest, but only sighs.

AJ's settled by the idea, telling Rosie, "You keep her safe, okay?"

Rosie barks.

"Good girl!"

"Why does he even stay out there?" Mitch asks. "Hell, how does he sleep? You doze off and a walker'll chew your face off."

"Maybe he sleeps with the walkers," adds Willy. "Walker sleepovers."

"With party games," Clementine adds.

Willy gets a mischievous smirk, wiggling his brows. "Spin the bottle."

"Gross," Mitch groans. "Walkers don't sleep, though. And he's got a bed here surrounded by walls. Out there he's got, what? A tent? Yeah, a fucking tent is going to stop walkers from crawling into bed with him. It's so stupid, why is he so-"

"I don't know," Clementine cuts him off this time. As much as she'd love to watch Mitch rant and rave about James- then express his lack of caring, of course- she doesn't have time. "Ask him yourself."

"I would if he were ever here."

"Well, when I bring him back, you two can have a nice chat about it."

"Hmph."

"Hey, Mitch!" Willy giggles, holding up the now shining flashlight as he lets out in a singsong voice, " _Backwards_ !"

"What? They fucking weren't -!"

Clementine leaves them to enjoy the rest of their mornings. With Rosie at her side, they wander around to James' usual spots close to the school, letting Rosie sniff around and chew up some sticks.

She eventually finds him near his barn full of walkers. It's farther than he usually stays, but it's of no concern to her now.

When he sees her, he slips his mask off. "Clementine," he greets softly. Rosie comes up to him and licks his hand. He softly rubs her ears. "Ah, Rosie."

"James, you're okay."

"Yes," he says. "You were worried?"

"Just haven't seen you in a while. Wanted to check up on you."

He smiles. "You're very kind," he says. He stands from the log he's sitting on and says, "It's been peaceful out here. And cool. Sleeping outdoors when it's like this always makes me feel good."

She can see his usual tent set up back behind the barn, mostly hidden by trees and bushes.

"I can see that. Just, don't forget to check in with us, okay? Willy's been asking about you. Mitch, too."

That makes James smile.

With the silence comes the true reason she's out here. Clementine crosses her arms and takes a breath to steady her quick pulse. "Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh?" he asks. "What is it?"

"Well, uhm," Clementine looks up at the barn. It's faint, but she can hear them shuffling around and groaning inside. "Of the walkers you've found, do any of them happen to be wearing a ring?"

James cocks his head to the side. "That's a strange question."

"I know."

"What do you need a ring for?"

Clementine doesn't reply right away. She tries to think of an excuse, to hide her true intentions, but her mind's suddenly gone blank.

"Clementine?"

"I just... need a ring. Nothing fancy."

James doesn't push. He slips his mask on and as he walks over to the barn, he says, "I'll look."

He's inside for a long time. Long enough that Clementine starts to get anxious. She wanders about, kicking at rocks and watching for stray walkers. She throws a stick for Rosie a few times.

Eventually, he does come out, and Clementine is right there, eager to see his findings.

James shakes his head. "Sorry."

She gives a disappointed sigh.

She was hoping that she wouldn't have to go back to the train station. It's out of the way, and with only Rosie...

Actually...

"That's okay," she says. "Mind tagging along with me, then?"

"Where?"

"There's a train station a little ways away," she explains. "There's a ring there."

He's curious, but again, he doesn't push. "Okay."

They don't speak much as they walk. Clementine's a little glad, it gives her a moment to really think about what she's doing.

It's odd that she's considering the "feelings" of the dead walkers left in the train station, but she keeps telling herself they're dead, they don't need their wedding rings anymore. If anything, they'd be glad their rings could be used again for their intended purpose, right?

Then again, the couple had made a request to be left alone, one that Clementine didn't honor. Perhaps they wouldn't be too thrilled with her stealing from them after all.

The area around the train station is clear, just like it was yesterday. Once inside, they approach the couple. Clementine bends down and slips the gold ring off the male walker's finger, wiping it off on her jacket. Studying it, something occurs to her.

What if it doesn't fit?

She slips it onto her ring finger. It's a little loose, and looking at it, she realizes it might even be too small for Louis. His hands are bigger than hers and if it's only a little loose on her...

She turns back to James. "Try this on."

"Uhm, what?" He blinks down at her.

"Your hands are bigger. I just need to see if it'll fit."

James' eyes dart between her and the ring. "I don't know if I should."

"What?"

James grins. "Shouldn't you get down on one knee, first?"

"One knee? What-" She stares at his playful expression and it hits her. "No! No, I'm not- no !"

"It's just that Tennessee once told me-"

"I'm not proposing to _you_, you- you dingus !" She exclaims that way louder than she probably should have. This causes Rosie to bark.

James chuckles. "I know, I'm only joking. But, really, why do you need me to wear it?"

"Because I..." Clem lowers her head, weighing her options here. She decides that James is trustworthy and that the truth is the best answer. "Because you have bigger hands than me and... I need to see if this will fit Louis."

The surprise is clear in his expression even though it's obstructed by his mask.

"I see," he says. "When did this happen?"

"Nothing's 'happened,' really. Not yet."

"He asked you...?"

"No," she shakes her head. "He... actually has no idea about this."

" Oh ."

"So," Clementine's face is warm when she offers him the ring. "Will you just try it on?"

James takes the ring, but when he tries to slip it on, it barely goes past the mid-knuckle. "Seems he has smaller hands than me," he says, referring to the walker.

"Shit. It probably won't fit Louis then, either."

Well, there went her plan.

"Keep it anyway," James hands it back to her, "in case you can't find anything else. I'll keep an eye out for any walkers I come across, see what I can collect."

"Thank you."

An awkward silence falls over them, so she decides to check the lady walker, only to find her ring missing.

"Well... I might not need a ring. After all, it's the thought that counts, right?" she half-jokes.

"Giving up so quick is unlike you," says James. "His hands aren't mine. It might fit."

"Maybe."

"At least keep it as a symbol of what you're asking. It'll mean a lot to him, regardless."

Clementine runs a finger over the smooth band. It almost feels heavy, not physically, but with all the intentions behind it.

"Y'know, I never thought this would ever be an issue."

"What? Finding a ring?"

"Yeah. Well… marriage. Not that it's an issue, but," she speaks before thinking when she asks, "Did you ever think about these things with Charlie?"

"...At one time, yes." He says nothing more.

With the ring in her possession, Clementine leaves the couple behind once more.

She fumbles with the ring secured in her pocket. "Maybe there's a way to change it? Stretch it, maybe?"

"I wouldn't know," James says. "Ask Mitch. He has plenty of tools. Maybe he could help."

Clementine hadn't thought of that.

Their tool collection doubled after they took down the raiders and stole most of their supplies. Plenty of things used for building or repairing or breaking things down. Mitch and Willy were thrilled when they dragged it all back to the school. They kept most of it hidden away in the basement.

Maybe they did have something that could help.

* * *

James comes back with her to the school and once they're through the gates, he takes off his mask and is nearly run into by Willy and AJ.

"James!"

"You're back!"

"Good to see you didn't get your face chewed off," Mitch says, approaching and knocking James' shoulder with his fist.

"Yes," James replies awkwardly, rubbing at his arm where Mitch punched him. "I typically try to avoid that."

Ruby comes over to greet them, too, pushing Mitch back before he can grill James about his whereabouts in the woods.

"James, you hungry? I can have Omar whip you up something."

"No, thank you, I'm alright-"

Willy grabs a hold of his arm and drags James over to one of the tables. "C'mon! Look what I did to this crossbow!"

"It's super cool!" AJ exclaims.

"Oh-okay!"

Clementine grins before turning to Mitch and Ruby.

"He stayin' a while this time?" she asks.

"I don't know," replies Clementine. "Hopefully."

Mitch shakes his head, peering over at the boys before turning back to her. "Louis was asking for you earlier," he says. "Something about tuning the piano or some shit."

Clementine smiles. 'Tuning the piano' meant piano lessons. He's been teaching her to play for a few months now, insisting she learns so they can do duets together. She isn't great, but she's improving.

Ruby giggles at the expression Clementine's face. She snaps out of it and says, "Okay, I'll go find him."

Mitch rolls his eyes and walks away, grumbling something she can't quite make out.

Before Clementine can call after him, Ruby says, "I left 'The Woodsman' in yer room fer ya."

"Thanks," she says. "Can't wait to read it."

"Enjoy tunin' the piano," Ruby smiles before walking off.

Clementine decides that Louis can wait a little longer as she watches Mitch flop down on the couch, a collection of tools on the table before him. He slips a sharpener over his fist and begin working one of his knives through it. It's his favorite, the one with his name stitched into the leather handle.

"Hey," she greets.

He barely looks up from his work.

"What's up?"

"I need your help with something."

"Oh, do you?" he says flatly.

"Yes," Clementine frowns. "In the basement."

"You couldn't have said something before I sat down?"

She glares.

"...Right now?"

"Right now."

Mitch examines his freshly sharpened knife. "...Fine. I was going down there anyway." He tucks his weapon away and moves over to the basement doors, Clementine following close behind.

He yanks open the doors with a grunt, and as they go down the stairs, he asks, "What'ja need?"

They stop at one of the work desks as she pulls out the ring. "Is there any way you can make this bigger?"

Mitch stares at the ring with a deadpan expression.

"Serious?"

"Is that a no?"

Mitch snatches the ring out of her hand. "Make it _bigger_?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"That's for me to know."

He shoots her another look. He taps the ring on the desk a few times then examines it again. Then, he bites it.

"Look, if you can't do anything, just say so," Clementine says, annoyed.

Mitch quirks a brow at her. "Fine," he leans against the counter, holding the ring up, "I'll see what I can do… if you tell me what it's for."

Clementine's insides tighten. Knowing Mitch, he won't give in, as stubborn as he tends to be. If she wants his help, she'd have to give in. Not point in fighting. Besides, it's not that she doesn't trust Mitch, quite the opposite. She just figures the fewer people who know, the less likely it is that Louis would find out.

Then again, if she doesn't tell Mitch, he'll go straight to Louis about it and the whole thing will be ruined.

"Fine, fuck it," she says. "You're going to find out anyway, might as well tell you now." She crosses her arms and leans against the table as well. "But, you gotta keep it to yourself, at least for right now. Got it?"

"Fine."

"It's for Louis."

"Louis?"

"Yeah, I'm…" she closes her eyes and takes a breath, "I'm asking him to marry me."

Wow, saying it out loud is… strange.

When Mitch doesn't respond, she looks up at him. His expression is almost funny.

"... Why ?" he finally asks.

Clementine shrugs, saying, "Because I love him."

"Gross."

She elbows him.

"Wait, you're asking him to marry you? You know that's not even a thing anymore, right?" Mitch asks. "That shit doesn't matter."

"Maybe not to everyone, and, honestly, it didn't matter to me either until now," she explains. "And it's not a big deal, I just… want to let him know how I feel and I need a ring to give to him."

"So, what? You're gonna have a wedding?"

"I-I don't know," she admits."I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

Mitch's brows furrow as he eyes her and Clementine can see the gears turning in his head. She figured he wouldn't understand what she wants to do, or that he'd call her an idiot, or-

"Are you doing this so you two can fuck?" Mitch asks bluntly.

It feels like her heart stops in her chest as her eyes pop wide open. "Excuse me?"

"Y'know, you don't gotta be married to screw around. I'm not saying that you should or anything, though. These walls are fucking thin," Mitch explains. "And we got kids around."

Clementine's mouth moves but no words came out. She shakes her head. "No, that's not- we're- just-"

"Y'know," Mitch ignores her stuttering, "My grams used to tell us we'd go to Hell if we had sex before we were married and all kinds of stupid shit. Yet, here we are, literally living in hell, and I doubt it's because some idiots fucked before someone 'officially' declared them married," Mitch says. "Who even gets a say in what's official or not anyway? Anyone can walk around and wear and ring and say they're married to anybody, it doesn't-"

"That's not why I'm doing this!" Clementine manages. "That's not even- It's not your business anyway!"

Mitch frowns, holding up the ring, "Okay, fine, if not for that, then why the stupid ring? It doesn't mean anything. Wearing this and saying you're married doesn't change anything, so why bother?"

"It means something to me, okay?" Clementine snaps. "I don't care if it's 'not a thing' anymore. Is it so wrong that maybe I want to try and give him something that most of us thought was long dead? That_ I_ want something like that?" She snatches the ring away from him. "Look… yesterday, AJ found a wedding photo that belonged to this walker couple, and Louis explained what it meant and I just… I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I didn't ask you to understand what I want to do. I asked you if you could adjust the ring for me."

Mitch eyes her quietly.

Then, he straightens up. "Fine," he says, holding out his hand, "I'll fix your fucking ring."

She hesitates but hands it back in his palm. Then, he searches around in one of the drawers and pulls out some string.

"Gimme your hand," he demands.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

She does so, and he wraps the string around her ring finger. He pinches it and slides it off, then cuts it with his knife. He gives her the rest of the string. "Measure his finger and get back to me."

"Uhm?"

"Do it when he's asleep or something."

Clementine watches as he starts darting around, pulling tools off shelves and digging around in drawers, muttering to himself. When he notices she's still standing there, he says, "Don't you gotta meet your husband-to-be?"

Shit, she almost forgot.

"Right, the piano," she says.

Mitch tenses. "Wait…" his face twists in disgust, "Oh, God, is 'tuning the piano' code for...?"

It takes her a second to get what he's talking about.

"Mitch, I will stab you."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't wanna hear about it anyway," he waves her off. "Go do your gross stuff."

She leaves the basement flustered and ready to strangle that boy.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Clementine looks around for AJ. He's still over sitting with James, Willy and Tenn. Determining he's in good hands, she goes into the school.

* * *

A week passes before she's able to figure out how to measure Louis' finger.

She's had several opportunities to do it but always lost her nerve last minute, always afraid that he'd stir awake and catch her tying the string around his finger. She couldn't think of a reasonable excuse the cover up the truth.

She needed a different approach, so she concocted a plan.

Coming in from her evening watch, Clementine finds Louis and AJ still awake and reading a book together. She recognizes the cover as the one Ruby gave her.

"That was so cool!" AJ exclaims. "That wolf came outta nowhere and swish! Off goes its head!"

Louis laughs as AJ chops his hands through the air and jumps off the bed.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Clementine asks.

AJ freezes. "Oh, I couldn't sleep."

"I thought maybe a story would calm him down but it seems that backfired," Louis explains. He closes the book and sets it on the nightstand. This causes AJ to pout.

"C'mon, one more chapter?"

"Sorry, little dude, it's time to get some shut-eye."

"But, I'm not tired!"

"We can read some more tomorrow night, okay?"

"Promise?" AJ holds out his pinky, expression serious. Louis hooks their pinkies together.

"Promise."

"I'm still not tired, though."

"Well, if that's the case," Clementine smiles, "I think Tenn's still awake. You can go hang out with him and have a sleepover, or go on patrol if he's already asleep."

AJ's eyes widen slightly. Clementine never suggests he go on patrol or have sleepovers.

"Okay, yeah, yeah I'll do that!"

"Just go cause trouble."

"I won't!"

He grabs his box of crayons off his desk and hurries out the door, excited to spend the night with his best friend.

Clementine shuts it fully, locking it. Louis notices as he slips off his jacket, tossing it over the desk chair and flopping down onto their bed.

"Well, now that the small child is gone, and we're alone..." he trails off.

Clementine feels her pulse quicken at the suggestive look on his face, but then rolls her eyes when he pulls out his deck of cards from his pocket. "How about we play a game?"

"Another card game, hm?"

Good, that'll work.

"Don't sound so thrilled," he laughs. "We haven't played in a while."

He shuffles through his deck, flipping and rearranging them. She joins him on the bed, sitting across from him with her legs crossed. She reaches over and plucks the deck out of his hands.

"How about we mix it up tonight?"

She sets the cards on the table.

"What did you have in mind?"

She smirks.

"Close your eyes."

Louis raises a curious brow up at her, saying, "Don't think I've heard of that one."

"Just do it."

"And what happens when I do?"

"You'll have to close them and see."

He holds her challenging stare, but he rearranges his position on the bed to be more comfortable. He closes his eyes.

"Keep them closed," she says. "And no peeking."

"A little peeking?"

"Nope," she pinches his arm. "Peek and you lose."

She keeps an eye on his somewhat nervous face as she grabs his hand with the palm facing upwards.

"Uh, remind me," he blurts out, "what are the rules of this game, exactly?"

"You keep your eyes closed," she says, using her pointer finger to trace an L on his palm. Almost immediately, he closes his fist and jerks it away. He covers up a laugh with a cough.

"What-!?"

"Keep them closed!" Clem presses her other hand over his eyes.

"What are you _doing_ ?"

"I'm going to spell something out on your hand," she explains, "and when I'm done, you tell me what it spells. And you can't look or pull away."

"Seriously?" he asks. "Do you have any idea how much that tickles?"

"Well, I didn't think you were that ticklish," she teases. "But it's nice to know."

"I'm not!" he objects.

She grabs his hand again.

"I'll give you an easy one to start, okay?"

She tries to move as little as possible to pull the string out of her pocket. She traces the L again. His fingers twitch and he grows tense with keeping the laughter bottled up inside him. She carefully spells the rest of his name as well as wraps the string lightly around his ring finger before quickly pulling it off.

"Don't open them," she says.

When she's done, he pulls away again and rubs his hands together. He keeps his eyes closed.

"What did I spell?" she asks him. She ties the string at the measurement mark.

"Louis."

"Are you sure?" she teases.

"I think I know how to spell my own name, thank you," he says. "Even with whatever sneaky finger trick you're trying to pull."

"Well, I guess you win."

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"No."

"What? Isn't it my turn?"

"Nope."

"Darling, I'm starting to think this game's a little rigged."

Clementine takes a moment to glance over his face.

"Hell, I'm not sure this is even a real game."

His brows knit with concentration. She can see he's biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She pockets the sting and reaches for his hand again, absently tracing the lines along his palm. His hand twitches again.

"Okay, that's not even a word," he complains. "That's gibberish."

She brings his hand up and kisses his knuckles.

"And that 's cheating."

She leans over to kiss the scar on his chin, then his cheek. His breath stops before coming out shaky. Her kisses travel to his jaw as she lets go of his hand to run her fingers over the thin fabric of his shirt. They move to his collarbone and his neck. Her thumb presses lightly against his pulse point. It beats hard.

His skin is warm beneath her lips as she kisses along the exposed skin of his freckled chest.

He carefully grabs her waist, blunt nails digging into her jacket.

She traces a heart over his chest.

His grip on her tightened.

And she finally presses her lips to his with a satisfied sigh.

* * *

The world's a blur when her eyes flutter open.

She's relaxed, calm, and content as she weaves in and out of dreamless sleep. The body pressed against her front is warm... and trembling?

Fear runs through her veins as she jolts up.

Louis is out of bed, inhaling gulps of air and shaking his hands out, trying to control his breathing. He paces closer to the door, looking ready to bolt, but she calls out to him.

"Louis?"

"Clem-" he coughs, keeping his back to her as he holds onto the desk chair for balance. He sounds winded like one would after running a nonstop marathon for hours on end, and looks as if he could collapse any moment.

"Shit," she hears him whisper.

Clementine's out of bed and reaching for him, only to have him jerk his arm free.

"I'm oh- I'm okay, Clem," he gulps, sighing out more heaves like the room is leaking any spare oxygen and he can't quite get enough. "Go back-" he motions to the bed pathetically, "bed."

No way, she thinks, no way in hell is she leaving him like this. He's trembling violently in all his attempts to compose himself.

"C'mere."

"I'm fine-"

"Come here, Louis," she murmurs, forcing him to face her. She cups his cheeks, and even through the darkness of their room, she can see the glossiness of his red eyes. Her thumb brushes beneath his eye just as a tear spills. "It's okay, breathe with me."

He shakes his head. "Shit-"

"Breathe with me."

He nods quickly, squeezing his eyes shut and following her lead, taking a deep breath and holding it, letting it swell in his chest before exhaling slowly.

Clementine watches him, looking over the terror furrowing his brow and the moisture clinging to his lashes.

He'd been sleeping so calmly these past few weeks.

But, even so, the nightmares always come back.

They always did for her, too.

That's where she and Louis differed, she thinks. Clementine's nightmares have become a normal, accepted part of her life. She knows there's no escape from them, regardless of how real or not they feel. She can cope.

But Louis… even now, two years later, he still dreams of that woman.

Shit, Clementine can't even remember her name or what she looked like, but Louis does. Her name engraved itself into his brain the moment Minerva screamed it.

She's tried telling him over and over again that what he did was self-defense, that if he hadn't done what he did, that woman wouldn't have hesitated to kill him.

Fuck, that woman wouldn't have hesitated to cut off his hand had AJ not attacked her. In her mind, Louis had no reason to feel so horrified, so ashamed.

"I'm sorry," he gasps out.

But he did feel those things and she wouldn't ever ignore that. She wouldn't ever belittle that.

"I'm sorry."

Louis grips her waist and tugs her closer, burying his face into her shoulder, still grumbling silent apologies. She rubs his back and his arms to try and calm his shaking, whispering comforting words into his ear and kissing his temple, his cheek. She wipes the cold sweat off his brow.

They stay like that for a long time until she takes his hand and leads him back to bed.

When they wake up tomorrow morning, she doesn't say anything.

He moves about the room, gathering his boots and sitting on the bed to lace them up. With a heavy sigh, he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing at his face.

She reaches for him, pressing her cheek into his shoulder and dragging her hands up and down his arms. She hums a calming, light tune. One that Louis likes to hum himself.

"Clementine?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

And like that, every little doubt she ever had about what she truly wanted with him vanishes.

"I love you, too."


	3. Chapter 3

Well, the ring isn't bigger, but it _is_ flatter.

Too flat to possibly fit on Louis' finger.

Well, fuck.

The hammer hits the workbench with a deafening clatter that bounces throughout the basement, causing a startled Willy to drop the tattered, blue tarp in his hands.

Mitch lets out a deep groan, leaning back in his chair while tugging at his hair.

"How bad is it?" asks Willy.

The ring's a piece of shit, Mitch decides. He tried reshaping it, stretching it to be just the tiniest bit bigger, but progress was halted due to the fact that he fucked up.

Maybe it would be easier if he had Louis' measurement- which Clementine has neglected to obtain yet- but right now, it's damn near impossible to get it back to its perfectly circular shape.

"Fucked," Mitch grumbles. He can't give it back to Clementine in this shape. She'll be devastated.

"I don't think it's supposed to look like that," Willy yawns from beside him, rubbing at his eyes.

Turning the ring- if you could even call it that anymore- around in his fingers, concern furrows the young boy's brow as he chews on his bottom lip.

"What are we gonna do?"

That's a great question, one that Mitch doesn't have an answer to yet.

Really, it should've been simple.

He should've been able to stretch it out a bit then reshape it into a perfect circle, into a _ring_. Now it's just a long, depressing, wobbly, scratched up _loop_.

All the mornings he woke up early this week to come down here, all the nights he stayed up to work on it… all for nothing!

Fuck.

Clementine's gonna be pissed.

"No clue," Mitch sighs, pressing forward against the desk to step down from his chair. "Don't suppose you got any ideas?"

"Maybe we could melt it back?"

"With what? Fire?" Mitch sighs."No fire we could make would be hot enough to melt this."

"We could just get it hot enough to reshape it, at least?"

"Maybe," Mitch says, unconvincingly. "Then again, it is pretty cheap, whatever it is."

Willy tries stretching the ring with his fingers to no avail, only succeeding his pinching his pointer finger.

The only reason it got into the shape it is now is because Mitch secured it in an old wrench, then used a pair of thick pliers to try and reshape it. No set of fingers are going to be enough to pry it apart.

"If we don't fix this, Clem's gonna be mad at us!" Willy exclaims, slamming the ring back down onto the workbench. "There's gotta be something we can do! Maybe we could find her a new one? A bigger size? "

Mitch perks a brow.

"You got a bunch of wedding rings lying around that I don't know about?" he asks. "Seems like a weird thing to collect."

Not that he'd be all that surprised, though it'd be rather convenient. Willy collects all kinds of strange shit- used stamps off of old envelopes, coins, fun-shaped erasers, probably other stuff. The kid's like a bird collecting random shit for a nest.

"No," Willy grins. "But that doesn't mean we can't find one. What about the headmaster's office? Or the old teacher's lounge? Maybe one of them took their ring off and forgot about it?"

Seems like a long shot.

Most of the teachers who worked here before all the bullshit happened were married. Hell, Mitch bets that's one of the reasons they ditched. Had to get back to their husbands and wives and dogs and whatever. Or maybe that was just the excuse they used.

Even so, he doubts any of them took their rings off before abandoning the school. Even if one happened to leave a ring behind, the odds of it fitting Louis were still not in their favor, which would put them right back into this predicament.

"Doubt it."

With the ring and pliers in his hands once more, Mitch bends the ring the best he can. It's much easier fucking up than fixing it, he thinks bitterly, though that could be due to that fact this his patience and energy levels are at an all-time low. With every failed tug at the ring's material, every wrong bend, the muscles in his neck tense.

_Fuck the ring, fuck the ring, fuck these pliers, fuck this damn ring, fuck-_

"Careful!" Willy gasps out just a bit too late.

The force causes the pliers to slip from his hand and become lost on the floor.

The ring-

No, not a ring anymore. Nope.

"Mitch! You just-"

Broke it.

He broke it.

Mitch stares down at the damn this in disbelief. How the fuck was that possible? What is this thing made out of? Were wedding rings always made to be this flimsy? The walker Clementine took this from must've been a cheap son of a bitch because there's no way that's a thing that should've happened!

It just… _snapped_! Broke apart!

"Oh shit," Mitch hisses out, cradling the ring in his palm, poorly attempting to stick it back together. "Oh no."

Superglue! He had to have superglue down here! There's-

A high pitched squeak echoes through the basement, followed by a leak of the evening's setting sunlight and the metal clang of the basement door.

"Mitch?"

Oh-

Oh fuck-

"You down here?"

Mitch's wide eyes meet Willy's panicked ones. In an instant, the two yank the torn tarp over the workbench, knocking the flashlight off the edge with a loud clang. The basement darkens.

"Shit!"

Footsteps. Heavy, slow footsteps.

"Mitch?" James' voice echos, sending a jolt through Mitch's stomach. He fumbles with the broken ring, only for it to drop and bounce on the concrete floor.

"Ruby said I'd find you down here."

"Oh, for fucks sake-!" Mitch dives down onto his hands and knees beneath the workbench, grumbling a string of curses as he feels around for the damned ring all while an annoying ache throbs in his knees.

"Nope! Not down here!" Willy spits out, jerking the tarp down over Mitch's back, effectively shielding him from any light left. "Nothing to see! Come back later!"

Fucking shit-_ ouch!_

A jagged rock digs into the bone of his kneecap, causing him to jerk up and smack the top of his head against the underside of the workbench.

_Ouch, ouch, ouch!_

A chuckle from James breaks through the shooting pain and Mitch can't tell which is more annoying.

"Mitch isn't here?" James asked, the amusement clear in his tone as he approaches. "Strange, I thought I heard his voice."

Bastard.

Of all the fucking people in this school, James would be the one to come snooping around down here this late. Shit, maybe Ruby complained to him about yesterday and now he's here to investigate what they're doing.

That's not good. It's already bad enough that he enlisted Willy's help after promising that he'd keep the damn marriage proposal nonsense to himself, he doesn't need to add James to the list. Clementine's already going to be pissed enough as it is now that she doesn't have an actual functioning ring! She might really stab him this time!

"Nope. You didn't hear anything! Not here," Willy tries. "Nothing suspicious here."

"I see. So, those aren't Mitch's boots sticking out right there?"

"...Uh, no? Those are, uh, my boots!"

For once, Mitch wishes Willy were a more convincing liar-_ ah-ha!_

Rubbing along the dirty ground, the ring finally brushes against his finger. With the damned thing secured in his fist, Mitch quickly scoots out. Fighting with the tarp in order to stand up, he damn near trips over his own chair, saving himself by grabbing ahold of Willy's shoulder with his free hand.

A bright light nearly blinds him, one held by a grinning James.

"Gah! Watch where you point that thing!" Mitch exclaims, batting blindly in James' direction. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, there you are. Uh, sorry," James apologizes, lowering the light. "I hope your head is okay. Sounded like a nasty bump"

An irritating, sheepish warmth burns Mitch's cheeks.

"Hurts like a bitch," Mitch snaps. "Thanks. Now, what the hell are you doing here? It's way too late for you to be poking around. And haven't you ever heard of knocking? We're in the middle of something and don't need you waving our flashlight around like- like some sort of flashlight creep, weirdo, person!"

Mitch huffs, trying not to look out of breath after his tangent, but the charmed smile James wears makes him want to knock the flashlight out of his hand. Cocky bastard, catching him with his pants down-

Wait no, fuck, not-

James caught him fucking around with Clementine's ring- which he doesn't know anything about- and now he's like a deer in the headlights- ha, there's a better metaphor… y'know, because of the flashlight- and James is the hunter in the car waiting for an explanation.

Why the hunter would wait for such a thing instead of shooting the deer doesn't make any sense but-

"Mitch?" Willy's concerned voice breaks his train of thought. "Are you okay?"

"What?"

"You look-"

Before Willy can finish, James holds up his hands, quietly asking for silence. He cranks his neck to look behind him, back up at the closed doors of the second outdoor entrance.

The faint barks of Rosie ring outside.

Omar must be on watch now, Mitch figures. That'd explain Rosie's excitement. He had to hush her by tossing her a piece of old jerky he found when messing around out here, that way no one on watch spotted him and Willy sneaking down here.

After a moment, James turns back to them with a small, relieved smile.

"It's okay," he says softly. "I already know what's going on. Clem told me you were working on the ring down here. You don't have to hide or make up any excuses."

Clem? Didn't he say Ruby-

Wait-

"You know?" Willy asks. "About the ring?"

James nods down at the boy.

"I wanted to see how it's coming along, and maybe help, if that's okay," James says, giving Mitch a sincere look. "She hasn't gotten Louis' measurements yet, has she?"

Mitch's split on if he wants to throw the disfigured ring in his face or not.

"No," Willy answers for him. "She hasn't, and we screwed up!"

"Willy!" Mitch snaps.

"Big-time!"

James' face falls.

"What happened?"

"I- Well, hold on!" Mitch stutters. "When did she tell you? I thought I was the only one who knew."

James gives Willy a quick look, to which the young boy gives a guilty, toothy grin and a shrug.

"Okay, fine, fair enough," Mitch sighs. "I needed his help and he swore he wouldn't breathe a word to anyone. Right?"

Willy crosses an X over his chest, saying, "Scout's honor."

"I see," James nods, watching as Mitch pulls back the tarp to reveal the workbench. "Well, so long as Louis doesn't find out, I think you'll be okay. And, uh, last week."

James picks up the pliers from the floor. Mitch snatches it out of his hand before turning away, purposefully avoiding his heavy gaze.

He has the weirdest eyes, Mitch thinks. They're so dark that you can't tell where the pupil starts or ends and the way he stares is so-

Mitch scoffs, waving his hand as a silent, '_Well? Go on._'

"When she came to get me, she asked if any of the walkers I keep in the barn happen to be wearing a ring," James continues. "I searched and searched, but came up empty-handed. We ended up at the train station. She told me about her plans after she got the ring."

Well, that makes sense, at least.

And here, Mitch thought he was the first and only person she told. Though he had to admit- not aloud, but to himself- that he's a little glad that James knows. Maybe he has an idea of how to fix this mess.

Speaking of which-

Mitch, continuing to avoid James' stare, uncurls his fist and sets the ring on the workbench.

James, finally sparing a glance away from Mitch's irritated face, looks down at the remains of the ring.

A beat of silence passes as all three of them look at the damn thing.

God, they're so fucked.

Finally, James hums.

"I don't think that's going to fit Louis."

Mitch glares.

"Gee, ya think?"

"Told'ja we screwed up," Willy mumbles. "But maybe we can just wrap it around his finger? Since, y'know, it can do that now."

"Nope," Mitch slams his hands on the workbench. "Nu-uh, now way, this ring is trash. Nothin' we do is ever gonna fix it. Not gluing, not melting, not wrapping. We're gonna have to start all over."

"You have another ring?" asks James, leaning against the workbench with his arms folded across his chest.

Huh, he doesn't have those nasty gloves on.

"Uh, no," Mitch shakes his head. "We don't."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Nope."

What a mess.

Clementine asks him to do one thing and he just had to go fuck it up. He should've waited until she had his measurements. Don't know what difference that would've made, exactly, but perhaps it would've been a step in the right direction.

God, he can see it now. She'll come down here with or without the measurements and he'll have to tell her that he broke her ring and then she'll be pissed and the next thing he knows, he's lying on the ground in agony because she kicked him in the dick.

Unless he comes up with a plan.

"I'm here to help," James says, breaking the silence. "Anything you want me to do, I'll do it. We'll figure this out."

Well, isn't that so damn kind of him...

"What else can we make a ring out of?" Mitch asks, whirling around to face them. "Doesn't hafta be fancy, just something they could wear without it breaking on 'em. Something like- like wire, or shit, I dunno… wood? Do you think we could carve some rings?"

"Maybe," James nods. "Though I don't know how comfortable or sturdy wood rings would be, it's a good start."

"A last resort, at least?"

"I think so."

"What about the library?" Willy pipes in. "We've got all kinds of books in there that could help. Remember all the books we found about boats and explosions? If they had books like those, then maybe there's some on rings or jewelry making?"

Mitch grins.

"Fuck yeah, good thinking," he pats Willy's shoulder, "tomorrow morning see if you can find anything in there. And remember, keep it down, yeah? Don't need anyone poking their noses where they don't belong, and we can't let Clem find out what happened. Got it?"

"Got it," Willy nods, a frown forming. "Wait, I gotta go alone? Can't James come help me look?"

"No, he's gotta keep an eye on the others."

James shoots him a questioning look, which is more than enough reason for Mitch to turn away.

"We can't have anyone coming down here, especially Louis. They'll ask too many questions, and Clem can't know I fucked up yet, alright?" Mitch says. "I'll go to the teacher's lounge and see if I can find anything. If not, I'll gather as many materials as I can find. We'll meet back here in the morning, before everyone's awake."

"In that case, we should head back to the dorms," James looks back at the double doors. "I'll do my best to keep everyone's interests low."

Mitch smiles, despite himself. Must just be tired.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

The morning is calm compared to last night.

Eventually, Clementine and Louis finish readying themselves for the day only to linger in the comfort of their dorm.

"One of these days we should just stay in bed."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep, spend the whole day in bed. Eat, play card games, sleep, what have you."

Clementine grins, leaning up on her tiptoes to press another kiss to Louis' cheek before saying, "Only if we can build a pillow fort."

Louis chuckles for the first time this morning, fully turning around to face her, his hands pressed against the curves of her waist.

"Ah, a woman after my own heart."

He dips forward as if to kiss her, and she's fully prepared for it. It's only when she feels the familiar material of her hat being pressed onto her head does she lean back and open her eyes to find him smirking down at her. He pats her on the head, poorly containing the laughter within him at the sight of her annoyed expression.

"Unfortunately for us, Clem, we can't take a vacation day and spend it in bed," he says, letting her go to head for the door. "Our dear Aasim said Lucy's ready to pop today assuming she already hasn't and apparently he needs more than Ruby's help to deal with that."

"He wants you to help deliver baby bunnies?"

"I know, I thought it was strange, too," Louis shrugs. "He knows I get attached to cute, fluffy things, and when I'm attached, I don't exactly want to butcher and eat them, y'know? Must be doing it on purpose to get back at me for always beating him in Go Fish."

Louis swings open the door, motioning for her.

"After you, m'darling."

Clementine rolls her eyes, though her smile betrays her.

"You go on ahead," she tells him. "I'll see you down at breakfast."

"Well, in that case…"

Louis dips down and kisses her. His lips are soft and warm against hers, more than enough for her to hold him there for just a few seconds longer before pulling away.

Even though his exhaustion is still rimming his eyes, he smiles brightly.

"I'll save you a seat," he says. "And I'll make sure AJ doesn't eat your breakfast."

"Thanks," Clementine grins, and it's on the tip of her tongue, the urge to ask him if he's okay again.

At this point, she doesn't need to ask, and he doesn't need to hear it or answer.

Once he's gone, Clementine gives a big sigh.

Alright, time to find Mitch and give him the string.

Her plan was more than successful last night. Now she finally has the measurements for Mitch to properly adjust the ring. How he's planning on doing it, she doesn't know, but he promised her that he'd try and she trusts him.

Mitch isn't hard to find, which is surprising. He's digging around in one of the hallway drawers when she finds him, muttering curses to himself with a bitter expression.

He's spent most of the week down in the basement tinkering around with what she assumes is ways to fix the ring. While she appreciates the effort he's putting into this, she wishes he was a little less defensive about it.

Ruby questioned him yesterday about it and he about blew up on her.

Mitch takes the string without a word and hurries back outside, never once looking her in the eye.

Odd, she thinks, but sometimes Mitch is hard to figure out. So, she lets it go.

As for the next order of business, she has to find AJ.

Considering he didn't come back to the room last night, she assumes he had a sleepover with Tenn last night.

For that, she's grateful.

Not only would he have walked in on something, well, _intimate_, but AJ has a hard time leaving Louis alone after one of his nightmares. Clementine warned him about being clingy, but all AJ says back is, "I just want him to be okay."

Louis always insists he's fine, that the nightmares aren't really that bad, that he barely remembers them. She knows he still tells AJ that to reassure him. He used to tell her the same thing, only she knows better.

She can still remember the first time she told him to stop lying to her.

_"Louis, stop. Just… stop. Lying to me isn't going to make it any better. You can't carry this on your own and I can't fully be here for you unless you're completely honest with me."_

She never held someone whose entire body rocked and crumbled with so much regret, so much fear. So many things brought to light, so much more than she initially imagined.

That was the first night they slept in the same bed.

He moved in two days later.

She can only hope that tonight's better, that he can find peace in his dreams again.

Clementine leaves the dorms and steps out into the fresh morning air, inhaling the intoxicating scent of dew ridden grass and dirt.

AJ's at one of the tables, scarfing down his breakfast next to Louis, James and Tenn.

From a distance, she can see how tired Louis is, even if he's smiling and laughing with the others.

"Clem!" Omar waves her over, holding up a plate.

That's when the scent of breakfast hits her, causing her stomach to tighten with a growl. She's about to hurry over until she sees Violet loading up her bowl. Their eyes meet for a split second, and that's enough to make Violet jerk around and head to the farthest table possible, one occupied by Aasim. Clementine watches her go as she approaches Omar.

"Good morning," she greets him.

"It is a good morning, isn't it? I'm glad there's a little breeze today," he says cheerfully.

"Yeah," she agrees before bringing her voice to a whisper. "Hey… did she say anything to you?"

Omar gives Violet a quick glance, shrugging a shoulder.

"Just thanks. Nothing else. Tried making conversation but I don't think she's in the mood today. Y'know."

"Right," Clementine nods.

"Hey, have you seen Mitch this morning? He hasn't grabbed his food yet."

"Oh, um, I haven't," she lies.

"He's nowhere!" Willy exclaims from behind her, causing her to flinch. Somehow that boy manages to be both too loud and too quiet. He's a good little sneak, she'd give him that.

"Nowhere?" Omar asks, frowning. "He can't be _nowhere_. He's gotta be somewhere. Oh-" Omar lets out a huff. "Is he in the basement again?"

"No!"

"That's a yes, then," Omar rolls his eyes. "He's been down there a lot this week."

Ruby comes over to them now with anger knitted in her brow and her cheeks puffed red.

"Oh, he's been banging around down there all mornin'! I just went ta fetch him fer breakfast and he hissed at me like some sorta rodent," she scowls, "tellin' me to fuck off, he's busy! What's he been doin' down there that's so important?"

Willy bites his lip as if to prevent himself from blurting something out, but once Ruby pays him a stern look, it's out.

"He's totally not making something super awesome! Nope!"

"Oh, God," Ruby groans. "What's he makin'?"

Willy shrugs with faux innocence before shooting Clementine a knowing smirk that makes her freeze.

"What's he makin'?" Ruby asks again, harshly.

"Nothing!" Willy exclaims before pointing at himself, "I would know because I've been down there with him and we're not doing anything! Nothing !"

Clementine never thought that she'd ever meet a worse liar than AJ but-

Wait.

"Willy, I know yer lying! What're ya doin' down there?"

"I'm not! We're doing nothing !"

No, no fucking-

Clementine has to refrain from slapping her forehead.

If Mitch has been down in the basement working on her ring all week, and Willy's been down there with him…

So much for keeping quiet.

"It best not be another cherry bomb 'cause I _will_ whip his ass so hard-"

"It's not! Honest! Don't worry, it's nothing!" He smiles at Clementine again, baring all his crooked teeth. She glares back.

That seems to straighten Willy out. He looks down at the dirt and says nothing more.

"Well, either way," Omar hands Willy a plate, "take that to him. I don't want to hear him complain he's hungry when he finally comes outta there."

"On it!" Willy almost spills the food when he takes off, desperate to get out of the situation.

"Willy!" Clementine calls after him. "Hold it!"

He stutters to a halt in front of the basement doors. When she gets closer, she can hear a repeated banging echoing from down the stairs. They both look around to make sure everyone else is out of earshot. Deeming it safe, she leans down and demands, "What did he tell you?"

Willy avoids her hard gaze.

"Nothin'."

"_Willy_."

"Okay, fine! Mitch said he needed my help fixing your _wedding ring_," he loudly whispers. Clementine's hand shoots out to cover his mouth.

"Shhh!" Clem glowers. "Who else has he told?"

"No one," the boy answers, this time honestly, shaking his head. "And I ain't gonna tell anyone either, I swear."

"Willy-"

"Really! I even promised Mitch! Scout's honor!"

"Clem!" She hears AJ calling for her. She turns to wave at them while keeping her gaze fixed on the young boy.

Willy gives her a sincere smile.

"Don't worry, Clem, we got it all figured out. James is helping us with it, too! Just leave it to us."

"James-?"

With that, he hurries into the basement, calling out for Mitch. She sees some of the food slosh over and fall on the stairs.

She sighs.

At this rate, Louis'll find out before she even has a proper ring.

Doing her best to ignore the nervous frustration spreading heat in her belly, Clementine grabs her breakfast and joins the others at the table.

Interestingly enough, she finds that they're done with their food.

Instead, papers and colored pencils scatter all over the table. AJ and Louis hunch over their papers in full concentration while James sketches all over his paper lightly, eyes darting up constantly to look at AJ.

Just as she takes a seat, Louis sits back to flash a big smile, holding up his picture.

"Ta-da!" The other three boys stop and look up. They say nothing as they study the drawing. Clementine leans over to see as well.

"...What is it?" AJ asks.

"What is it?" Louis repeats, his confidence wavering. "What does it look like?"

"Like…" AJ squints, cocking his head to try and piece together what the drawing depicts. Finally, he settles on, "A bunny?"

Louis' eyes go wide.

"A bun- _what_?" he exclaims. He re-examines his picture. "It's not a bunny! It's Rosie!"

Hearing her name called, Rosie barks, trotting away from Omar and over beside Clementine, sitting politely and awaiting any leftover scraps.

When Clementine gets a better look at the drawing, she can tell that it's… sort of like a dog. It's the same color as Rosie, but the face is odd. And the ears are definitely too big.

AJ takes the picture from Louis and shakes his head. "Nope, not Rosie."

"Everybody's a critic," Louis snatches the picture back and holds it up to her. "Clem, you can tell it's Rosie, right?"

She blinks up at him before slowly shaking her head. She can't help but giggle a little at the distress on his face as he looks at his drawing.

"I think it kind of looks like her," Tenn says.

Louis sulks, resting his chin in his palm and slouching over, grumbling, "Thanks, Tenn."

Clementine rubs his back and offers an encouraging smile. He grins back at her and steals a potato chunk off her plate, popping it into his mouth.

"Clem, look!" AJ hands her his drawing. It's of him, her and Louis standing together with a large beach ball hanging in the air. "We're playing catch!"

"Wow," Clementine beams. "You're really becoming a great artist."

Louis leans against her shoulder to look. His face scrunches up in consideration.

"Hmmmm," he turns the picture upside down for a moment, then right-side up. He glances at the young boy with a smirk. "Looks great, little man. This'll look awesome on your wall."

Pleased with the compliment, AJ laughs. He takes his picture back and signs it. When he goes to grab a new paper, he asks, "What're you drawing, James?"

"Huh? Oh, um," James snaps his head up, his hand instinctively moving to cover his page, "I was just… well," he gives a sheepish smile, "I haven't had a chance to draw in a very long time, so I hope you don't mind but…"

When he holds up his paper, Clementine gasps.

The portrait of AJ on the paper looks so… _real_.

"Dude!" Louis exclaims, amazed.

"Hey!" AJ gasps. "That's my face!"

James puts the paper down and looks away. "I-I'm a little out of practice, you see. The proportions aren't exactly right, and I always had a hard time with ears-"

"Dude, are you serious?" Louis laughs. "That looks just like him!"

Tenn gasps lightly at the drawing as well, eyes darting over the portrait, taking in the details with curious eyes. His gaze falls back to his own picture, unsure, covering it with his arm and starts pressing his fingers together nervously.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

"It's what I used to do before. Charlie and I… we both drew," James smiles. "He's a lot better at it, though." He picks his pencil back up, looking fondly at the portrait. "He could do amazing things. These huge scenes with so much life and so much character. Me," he chuckles lightly, "I could only ever do portraits of people." He looks at Louis with a comforting grin. "I'm terrible at doing animals, too."

"You're a real artist!" exclaims AJ. "Just like Tenn!"

Tenn, still fixated on James' drawing, tucks his own under the stack of other drawings.

"Wow," he finally says. "You're really good. Like, _really_ good."

James notices the young boy's sudden timidness and looks to Clementine with questioning eyes. She returns his look with a smile and a small gesture towards Tenn.

"Um, thank you," James awkwardly places a hand on Tenn's shoulder, "I could show you. How I draw like this, I mean. If you want."

"R-really?" Tenn stutters. He takes a glimpse at the portrait. "I could draw like that?"

"Of course," James smiles, "anyone can."

"Even Louis?" Clementine teases, pointing at his picture of Rosie.

" Hey ," Louis takes the picture and holds it to his chest protectively, "I worked hard on this."

"No doubt," Clementine laughs, turning to Tenn. "Taking lessons from James could be a lot of fun. What do you think?"

The young boy nods, still not entirely sure, but willing to try. "Yeah, I-" he turns to James, "I want to draw like that."

"Me, too!" AJ butts in.

"Actually, AJ, I need your help with something today," Clementine says quickly before AJ can jump on the 'Drawing with James' train.

"Me? Why?"

Clementine picks up her plate and stands from the table. "C'mon, kiddo. You can draw with Tenn and James afterward. It won't take too long."

"But, Clem-" he whines.

"What do you need help with?" Louis asks. "Perhaps my services could be used instead?"

She grins at him but shakes her head. "Sorry, Lou, need AJ for this one."

"But-" AJ tries again.

"Now, AJ," she shuts him down. "C'mon."

James offers the young boy a comforting smile.

"I'll give you a personal lesson when you get back," he says. "Promise."

"Okay," AJ sighs.

Just as AJ and Louis go to stand, James says, "Actually, Louis? Can you stay?"

"Dude, don't mean to undermine your talent, but I don't think even you could teach me to draw like that," Louis tries to laugh.

James shakes his head. "No, it's not that. We need a model."

"A model?"

"To draw," he explains, "drawing from life is the best way to learn."

He gives Clem a knowing look, which she returns with a grateful one of her own, relieved at how intuitive James can be.

"Modeling, hm?" Louis sits back down, puffing out his chest and adjusting his jacket. He flashes a big, bright smile. "How do you want me? Happy? How about sad, distraught? Seductive, perhaps?" Pursing his lips, Louis winks up at Clementine.

"Still, looking straight ahead, please."

"Right, gotcha."

AJ sighs loudly.

She nudges him with warning eyes. Before they can turn to leave, Louis reaches out for her hand.

"Hold on," he says, pulling her closer. She leans down and he plants a sweet kiss on her cheek.

AJ sighs even louder.

"Have fun," Louis smiles.

She squeezes his hand. "You, too."

James places two blank sheets of paper in front of him and Tenn, handing him a pencil. Tenn takes it eagerly.

As she and AJ walk away, she hears Louis say, "Make me look good, fellas!" and she can't help but giggle, just a bit.

"Can't we go on patrol later?" AJ asks.

"Trust me, kiddo, this can't wait," she says. "It's pretty important."

"Did something happen?"

"No," she says. "Not yet."

* * *

Rosie's tail wags happily as she trots out through the gates. She doesn't go far, always sticking close to them as they walk the perimeter. If she ever does wander too far, all Clementine has to do is whistle and Rosie will rush right to her side.

"James is a really good artist," says AJ, "even better than Tenn."

"He's had a lot more practice than Tenn has," she replies. "With enough help, Tenn can be as good."

"You think so? You think he can teach me to be that good?" AJ asks hopefully.

"He said he would, didn't he?" she smiles at AJ's excited face.

AJ continues to gush about James as they walk. Clementine remains mostly quiet, only answering when AJ expects her to. When he's run out of things to say, they've already gone all the way around.

"No monsters," AJ says firmly. "And nothing else."

"Looks like we're clear."

"Yeah," AJ nods. He starts for the gates. Clementine places a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's walk around one more time," she says.

"Why? It's clear."

"I know," she nods. "But, I need to tell you something, remember?"

"Is it bad?"

"No, not bad at all."

"Oh."

Clementine whistles for Rosie and they continue walking. She takes a deep breath and speaks the words she's been repeating in her mind the entire walk.

"AJ, you remember the couple at the train station, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"And, you remember what Louis said about them? After you found that picture?"

"Their wedding picture," AJ nods. "He said they were in love."

"Right."

"A kissing love."

"Right," she says again. AJ waits for her to continue, but now, she feels at a loss for words. She stops walking and scratches at the back of her neck. "You know that I love Louis, right?"

"'Course you do. You guys kiss all the time," AJ teases.

Clementine feels her cheeks heat up as she murmurs, "Yeah, yeah, right."

Sitting on one of many bulging rocks thrown about, she inhales deeply. Rosie sits by her feet, dropping the stick she held in her mouth. AJ joins her, concern and confusion apparent on his childish features.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," she finally says, "about that day and about that walker couple and… I'm going to ask Louis to marry me."

AJ doesn't say anything, not immediately. She can tell from his puzzled eyes that hundreds of questions are forming in his head.

He starts with, "So… what does that mean?"

"Well," she starts, "it means that, if he says yes, he won't be my boyfriend anymore. He'll be my husband."

Husband.

_Let me introduce you to my husband, Louis._

"And you'll be his, uh…" AJ thinks hard, trying to remember the word.

"I'll be his wife."

Just saying it makes her feel strange. Not a bad strange, of course, but a nervous strange.

"His wife." AJ sits on this information, mulling it over. "And you'll be married. So, things will be different?"

"Well, no, not really. We'll have rings on- well, he'll have a ring on, maybe. But, nothing drastic."

"A ring?"

"Remember the walkers?" she asks. "At their wedding, they gave one another one to seal the deal, I guess. That's what that picture was."

Then, AJ gets excited.

"Okay," he says. "So, you guys'll have a big party?"

"Maybe we will, but I have to ask him first," she says. "Last week, when I went to look for James, we went back to the train station to take their rings. Couldn't find the lady's, but the man still had his on."

"You gonna give it to Louis?"

"That's the plan."

AJ's grin grows wider.

"This…" he draws out, "this is a big thing, isn't it?"

"It kind of is," she answers honestly. "Well, for me and him, anyway."

"Me, too," AJ laughs. "I like this. We're gonna throw a huge party! We haven't done that in forever! We can pull out that, uh, that… music thing! And play games! And-"

"Woah, hold it," she stops him, laughing at his eagerness. "I haven't even thought of a way to ask him yet."

"Well, go ask him now!"

"No, AJ, I can't ask him right now."

"Why not?"

"That's not how it works." She stands up and places a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I want to do this right. If I just asked him like it was any other question, then it wouldn't be as important. I want it to mean something. I want it to be special," she looks back at the school, "in a world that's so fucked up, that's taken away so much from all of us, where any moment could be our last. I want him to know how much I love him. How much I want to be with him in a different way. That's why I went back and got that ring. I'm not just going to ask, I'm going to propose."

AJ listens silently, the gears turning in his head as he processes her words.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is," she sighs, "I love him, and I want to give us something that we thought was lost forever. Does that make sense?"

AJ grabs her hand, smiling.

"Yeah, I get it."

Scooting closer, he wraps his arms around her waist, holding her tight.

"Good," Clementine hugs him back. "That brings me to what I really wanted to ask you."

"What?"

"Do I have your blessing?"

"My blessing?"

"Are you okay with me asking Louis to marry me?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay? I love you, and I love Louis, too. We're family."

Clementine's throat tightens, and so does her grip on AJ.

"That's all I wanted to hear."


	4. Chapter 4

The page remains blank.

No matter how much Violet wills the pen to move on its own, to put all thoughts both known and unconscious to paper, it remains beside the open notebook. As outrageous as it sounds, a small part of her hopes one day the pen will magically come to life and solve all of her problems with its problem-solving ink. Then everything will be okay.

Though she has a feeling the walkers will go extinct before her pen develops a sentient personality or therapeutic skills.

And she'll be dead by then, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

"It helps if you pick up the pen," Aasim said, not bothering to look up from his own work. "Just saying."

She knows even by his deadpan tone that he's trying to joke with her, even if he's not good at it. Laying bait for her to bite back with a sarcastic remark of her own.

"But then I'd actually have to write something down."

"Oh no," Aasim smirks, paying her a brief glance. "Effort."

That cracks a small smile out of her, and for a fleeting moment, they're smiling at each other as if that's a normal thing. It's hard to maintain that connection, so damn hard, so Violet hides her smile from him by turning away to look towards the gates.

The very same gates that Clementine, AJ, and Rosie pass through. Back from patrol, if she overheard correctly. Even from a distance, Violet can see the delighted grin Clementine wears, a grin only matched by AJ's. Far brighter than Violet's.

AJ hugs her tightly before breaking away and bolting towards Louis, James, and Tenn. Clementine remains, though, arms folded over her chest as she watches the group of boys with such fondness that it damn near makes Violet want to scream.

Shit, just…_ Shit_.

"Hey," Aasim reaches over, tapping on the blank page of her journal with his own worn-out pen to grab her attention. "Lucy had her babies this morning. Seven of them. Well, eight, but one of them didn't make it."

Violet tears her glare away from Clementine to instead glare at Aasim.

"Who the hell is Lucy?"

"One of the pregnant rabbits, remember? Not the one that had babies last week, the other one."

"We're still naming them?" Violet asks. Aasim made it very clear that no names were to be used when they started up the rabbit farm by the greenhouse.

_"They're food, not pets. No names. No attachments." _

That didn't last long.

"_ I _didn't name her," Aasim corrects. "Willy did, even though I've told him again and again not to. Now when it comes time for us to put Lucy down, he's not going to talk to me for another two weeks, as if I'm the only one at fault. Remember Albert?"

"Ah, Prince Albert," Violet nods. "He sure was delicious."

Everyone agreed that the lovely Prince Albert was one of the handsomest rabbits they had with his snow white fur offset by brown feet and ears. They also agreed that he made one of the best rabbit stews Omar's ever created.

Including Willy. That is until Omar offered him one of Prince Albert's lucky feet and Willy realized just who he had consumed.

The boy didn't speak to Aasim or Omar for a week, but Violet believes that he still carries around one of Prince Albert's feet for good luck, despite everything.

"Yeah, anyway, did you want to come with me to check on them? Ruby's out there now. Maybe you could stay with her and help out?"

Violet scoffs.

"Look, I'll take your night shift, too," Aasim adds. "That way you don't spend all day out there and then have to do a night shift."

"I like having the night shift."

"Every night?"

"Sure."

"Well," Aasim taps his pen against the table, thinking loudly to himself. "I'm giving you the night off anyway. Ruby would appreciate your company."

Oh, would she, now…?

It's not that Violet minds Ruby. She's the only girl Violet has left to talk to at this place- the only girl she's _willing _to talk to, actually.

Violet would say that she enjoys evenings spent with Ruby… most of the time.

The problem with talking to or spending time with Ruby is she's a lot. Not in the same way Louis is, but more in an overbearing mother sort of way. Always asking her how she's feeling, asking about her day, if there's anything she can do to help Violet out or if she wants to do this or that. She's far too pushy sometimes, especially when it comes to shit she doesn't understand.

_"Clem's tryin', Vi."_

As if Ruby has all the answers to make her happy. She always makes it sound so damn easy.

_"Why can't ya just talk to each other?"_

The problem is that Ruby tries to take care of everyone so that she doesn't have to think about how to make herself happy. Why focus on your problems when you can bury your pains and wishes beneath fairy tales and other people's problems?

At least, that's Violet's assumption.

Maybe Ruby is happy.

Maybe Violet just wishes she wasn't.

Fucking hell.

Just when she thought she couldn't be any more fucked...

"My company or yours?" Violet mumbles, finally picking up her pen, putting it to paper.

"What? My company- oh, I see." Aasim rolls his eyes, dropping his pen in the book before shutting it. "Ha ha, very funny. I get it."

Violet nearly rolls her eyes, too. Speaking of those who don't bother with their own shit-

"I was thinking that it'd be good for you to go out there and help her, that's all," Aasim says, tucking his notebook under his arm and standing from the table. He means to walk away on that annoying note but hesitates. Then, lowering his voice to one of disquiet, he says, "I'm worried about you. So is everyone else."

"I'm fine, Aasim."

"...Right," he sighs heavily. "Please go help Ruby with the rabbits. I'm only going to be there for a little bit before heading out to check the traps with Louis, and she could really use the help. Please?"

"Fine."

Aasim lingers, shifting his weight as he gives her a chance to say something more, a chance she refuses.

"Thank you."

With that, he's walking away, leaving her by herself to finish a doodle of a pen with curly hair and fire for eyes with a speech bubble.

_"Why are ya still here?"_

* * *

"Is my neck supposed to feel this stiff?"

"Yes. It's a sign of a good, unmoving model."

"Well, good to hear that my career is off to a good start."

Louis is still sitting there at the table, cracking jokes and trying his best not to move while James and Tenn draw. James points to various parts of Louis' face before motioning to Tenn's paper, something that brings a grin to Clementine's face.

"Don't worry, Clem," says AJ as he hugs her. "I won't say anything. Can I go draw now?"

"Have fun, kiddo."

She can safely leave AJ to catch up on art lessons with James. He promised her he wouldn't breathe a word of this to anyone- even Tenn- until she had everything all planned out.

Now that Mitch has the measurements, the ring is- hopefully- being taken care of, so all that leaves is _how _she plans on doing this. Several lingering thoughts follow her as she spends most of the day helping around the school, doing usual repairs to the gate and their walls.

She would've checked on Lucy and the other rabbits, but Aasim warned her that Violet was there with Ruby and Louis. She almost pushed him aside and went in anyway, but damn it, she knows better by this point.

Instead, she and AJ help Omar clean out the fire pit and gather fresh wood, briefly considering letting him in on her intentions. Omar's a trustworthy friend and while she appreciates his opinion, she decides against telling anyone else until she has the ring. She's found that battling her eagerness to be growing more difficult with every passing day.

So much so that she also considers asking about the progress on said ring when she finds Mitch and James near the library's entrance, speaking in hushed whispers that she couldn't make out. All talk stopped when she approached them, and began again when Mitch became snappy with her before dragging James away.

Odd, and not boding well for her, but she firmly believes that if there were any issues she should know about, Mitch would tell her.

When the sky finally turns a lovely mixture of pink and orange, AJ gives her a hug goodnight before making his way over to Tenn's room for another sleepover.

Before retiring to her dorm for the night, Clementine pokes her head into the music room to find it empty. A slight disappointment falls over her as she hoped Louis would be up for some piano lessons, but that dissipates when she finds Louis kneeling on AJ's desk with a roll of duct tape hanging from his mouth when she walks in, a stack of drawings placed beside him. He's taping up one of the portraits of himself on the wall.

"Ey!" He waves at her before spitting the tape out. "Look at these!" He hops off the desk and points at the one he just hung up. "That's the one James drew. Charming, isn't it?"

The amount of detail in the portrait is startling, a fully shaded-in head portrait of Louis that seemingly stares right at her. Even the little details, like his freckles and the scar on his chin, are noticeable.

"It's way weirder than I thought it'd be," he says, "having someone stare and dissect every part of your face. Did you know I have a very angular jawline?" He tilts his head up to prove his point. "And James said I have a nice eye shape."

"He did do you justice," she says, still admiring the picture. "Very handsome."

His chuckle comes out loud and anxious, not having expected her to say that.

"Hah, yeah, except," then Louis pushes his jacket back to place his hands on his hips, "uhm, do you think my nose is big?"

"What?"

"James said I have a wider nose. He drew it bigger than it actually is, right?"

"You have a very cute nose."

"That's not what I asked."

Clementine giggles. "Your nose is perfectly fine, Louis."

He eyes the portrait, still uncertain, only to then gasp as if just remembering something.

"Oh, wait though, ready for this?" He searches through the pile before plucking the one he wants out. "_ This _is the one Tenn drew." He proudly holds it up.

She can't say she's not impressed. It's nowhere near as proportional or advanced as James', but Clementine can see the effort and charm within the lines. Definitely Tenn's work.

"Wow," Clementine smirks, nudging him. "I see it now. James is right, you _do _have a big nose."

"_ Hey_," Louis reaches up and playfully pinches her nose, "big talk from little button nose over here." Louis sticks Tenn's portrait on the wall, next to James'. "There! We're getting quite the art gallery."

"One's missing, though." Clementine grabs Louis' picture of Rosie off the desk and tapes it up with the others.

"Seriously?" he asks sheepishly.

"Oh yeah. We're never taking that one down."

"Terrific."

Louis continues to look through the rest of the drawings. He hums to himself lightly, a tune she recognizes. He sticks more drawings on the wall; ones that AJ drew of him and Tenn, one he drew of Disco Broccoli.

He pauses when he comes across the one of AJ, Clementine, and him. The one with the beach ball. He smiles fondly at it before sticking it up there with the rest.

She sits on AJ's bed, leaning against the frame to close her eyes and listen to his cheerful humming.

One of the few things she loves in this world is the comfort she has when he's around.

It's a comfort she never thought she'd find again. Before Ericson, she and AJ never had time for comfortable peace. When it was just them, there was always that lurking feeling, that bitterness, that lingered in her thoughts.

Now, they have a place they call home.

Clementine can't imagine where they would've ended up had she not crashed the car. They'd still be out in the world, scavenging every little bit they could to survive. They never would've met the people she now considered family.

She and Louis would've never met, where she and AJ never met anyone at Ericson.

That's a really shitty thing to think about.

Finding this place, their home, was the best thing that happened to them. Meeting everyone here- Louis, Violet, Mitch, Ruby, Aasim, _everyone _\- has done so much for them. For years, she worried about her and AJ, about always being on the road in a car that constantly ran on fumes, about running across assholes who wanted to hurt them, about the dead finally getting the best of them. Nowhere to go, no direction. A neverending search.

She sneaks a glance at Louis._ He has no idea. _

He finishes up, shoving the duct tape in a drawer. Leaning against the desk with arms crossed over his chest, he looks at her with a tired grin, but says nothing.

She raises a brow.

"What?"

He shrugs.

It's like the weariness of their previous night has caught up to him, like something triggered a sinking reality that weighs him down. The shadows along his face from the setting light do nothing to hide the sadness betraying his eyes.

She slowly approaches him and reaches out to grab his hand, tugging him closer to her.

"Hey," she murmurs.

"Hey."

"You feeling any better?"

"Of course."

"Really?" Clementine locks their fingers together. "It's been a long time since you've had one that bad."

He keeps his stare focused on their hands. "...It wasn't that bad."

"Louis."

"Clementine."

"It was about that woman, wasn't it?"

He says nothing, but she can see the answer clear in his eyes.

_Yes, Clem, you know it was. It always is._

The first and only living person Louis ever personally killed, and it was purely accidental. It frustrates her that it still haunts him, and even more so that it'll always haunt him. Even when he expressed the relief of "having it in him" to protect those he loves, there's always a suffocating weight that comes with the first. If anyone knew that, it's Clementine.

That kind of guilt, no matter how irrational, never stops.

"Dorian."

"Hm?"

Louis closes his eyes and leans forward to press his forehead to hers.

"Her name was Dorian."

"Lou-"

"I know." He pulls back, forcing a smile. "I know."

His gaze falls on her nose. He pinches it again.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," she smiles sincerely. "Just… want to make sure you're alright."

"You don't have to worry about me so much, Clem. There are more important ways to spend your time."

More important?

She supposes that's a good way to put it.

"Y'know, I was thinking about what you said this morning," Clementine smiles. "AJ's having another sleepover with Tenn tonight, so we have the whole room to ourselves."

Louis raises a brow, a slow smirk spreading across his lips.

"Wanna build a pillow fort?"

"You read my mind."

Without any hesitation, she kisses him. It's a quick, soft, comforting peck that catches him off guard.

Another kiss to his lips, and then another. Clementine holds onto the nape of his neck and moves to his chin, his cheek, placing soft, intimate kisses against his warm skin.

He looks at her with lidded eyes before his hands caress her cheeks, his thumb brushing just below her eye.

He kisses her, eager for every press of her mouth. He doesn't stop kissing her, even when she tightens her grip on his jacket and pulls him back with her. The desk hits her hip and he's quick to lift her up onto the surface, almost knocking over her venus fly trap plant.

A pleased sigh escapes her lungs as she desperately moves to his jaw, down his neck. Her hands move beneath his jacket, trailing down to the hem of his shirt before bunching the material up. His skin is warm. His breathing is quick, shallow.

"Clem! Clem!"

Louis yanks back, their lips parting quickly with a loud smack as she nearly topples over from the force of him ripping away.

The bedroom door slams open and in barges Willy.

She's disoriented, lightheaded, blinking rapidly and frantically searching for any sign of danger. All she finds is Louis, who's now over at AJ's desk, humming incredibly loud, and Willy hurrying in with a triumphant smile.

"Clem, guess wha-!" The second he sees Louis, he stops and gasps. "Oh no!"

"Oh, look, darling!" Louis stops pretending to look at the pictures and glares at the young boy. "It's Willy, the boy who doesn't know how to knock! Nice of you to pop in _unannounced _this late in the _evening _!"

Willy's face flushes a scarlet red as his gaze darts between the two, falling down to Louis' shirt, which remains lifted to reveal part of his stomach.

Louis yanks the material down, fake coughing.

Willy's face is reminiscent of a fresh tomato at this point. It seems that even he got the sense of what was happening before he ran in.

Clementine slips down from the desk and tries to casually straighten out her own jacket and adjust her hat with an unfazed face, even though she's positive that her skin is blotchy and red, too.

"I'm sorry!" Willy blurts out, covering his eyes. "I didn't see anything! I'll knock next time! I swear!"

"Uh-huh," Louis frowns. "Said that last time, didn't you?"

Now she's not sure who's redder, her or Willy.

"Willy, what do you want?' Clementine sighs. She composes herself and approaches the boy.

His eyes went to Louis before meeting hers. That's all she needs.

"Is it Mitch?"

Willy nods.

Clementine's heart flutters. Choosing her words carefully, she asks, "Is he done?"

Willy nods once more.

"Done with what?" Louis asks.

"Uh-"

"Watch," Clementine interrupts. "I completely forgot that I have watch."

"Seriously?" Louis asks, confused. "Wait, I thought Ruby had watch tonight."

"I switched her," she lies, moving towards Willy and adding, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Willy leaves without another word, staring down at the floor. Clementine holds back an annoyed sigh. The previous mood is completely gone and now she's made a mess of lies that she's gotta detangle before Louis gets suspicious.

Damn it, Willy.

Couldn't have waited until morning.

Louis gives a thoughtful frown.

"I'm a little worried about him," he says, "about Mitch, I mean."

"Oh, uh, really?"

"Something weird's going on with him," Louis nods. "He's been down in the basement every day for the past week and- ...Well, I went to check on him this morning before breakfast."

Panic shoots through her stomach and into her heart.

Louis pauses, unsure if he should continue.

"And?" Clementine presses.

"...Well, when I tried going down the stairs, I think- well, it was probably nothing. I probably didn't see what I thought I saw because I could've _sworn _I saw James down there, too-"

Clementine's stomach drops.

"-and I don't know what they were doing but before I could even get down the stairs, Mitch threw a shoe at me."

"A shoe?"

Oh, goddamn it, Mitch-

"Yeah, right at my face! He about hit me in my big nose!"

Clementine rolls her eyes. "Again with the nose thing?"

"I've accepted its abnormally monstrous size," he says. "Anyway, then I saw him again on my way to the greenhouse and he wouldn't even look at me. Not that he's one for conversation or anything, but it's like… I don't know. It felt weird. I don't know what he's doing down in the basement or what _they're _doing if that really was James I saw. I'm not sure I want to know."

"I'm sure it was nothing."

"Probably… I don't think I've ever heard anyone shout 'no!' and 'out!' that many times in a ten-second time frame before hurling shoes at me. It was pretty terrifying."

"Mitch is…" Clementine's at a loss. While she's thankful for Mitch's ability to think on his feet so quickly, she wasn't sure if she approved of the shoe method. "...Hard to understand sometimes, and he and James are friends so it's not that weird that they're hanging out together."

Louis considers this, though she can tell he's not completely convinced.

"...Do you think they're… I mean, it's none of my business but if there was something going on between them-"

Oh boy.

Louis then shakes his head, changing his mind.

"Y'know what? I'm sure it was nothing."

She sighs. So much for not making Louis suspicious of anything. Then again, maybe this is her fault. She did tell James that Mitch was working on fixing the ring, and she should've known that would lead to him trying to help.

"He's working on a project," she says lamely. "He probably wants a second opinion on it from James. "

"A bomb project? I didn't think James was a fan of explosions."

"Firecrackers work as a great distraction for the walkers," says Clementine, which isn't a total lie. Mitch brought up the suggestion to James a while ago. They spent a long time discussing the idea if she remembers correctly.

Well, better not let sweet Ruby know," Louis says. "She's still got a personal grudge towards Mitch's bombs ever since that thing in the greenhouse, you know."

"Oh, I'm aware," she smirks. " _'A bomb? I will whip his ass!' _"

Her Ruby impression gets a chuckle out of him. "Hope he knows a shoe won't be enough to stop her. If anything, that's just provoking the beast."

"He'll have to learn that for himself," she smiles. Clementine approaches him again, fixing the collar of his jacket and apologizing, "Sorry I can't stay and help you build an amazing, comfortable pillow fort. Will you be okay?"

"Don't worry about me, darling." He grabs her hand and kisses her cheek. "We can always build a pillow fort another night, or, uhm, finish what we started. Maybe I'll go tickle the ivories for a while before bed, so if I don't see you before your finished or if I'm not awake, goodnight and stay warm."

She gives him a long kiss goodbye before she leaves.

One the door's shut, she takes a moment to take a deep breath.

Her face still feels warm after all the excitement. She's still a little annoyed at the interruption, but if she's right about what Willy was trying to imply, then she has to hurry. She can only hope that Mitch found a way to fix the ring.

The wait is starting to make her anxious.


	5. Chapter 5

Clementine yanks the basement doors open, only to gag when a nauseating scent of vinegar knocks her in the face.

"What the hell?" she coughs.

"C'mon!" Willy grabs her arm and hurries down the stairs, dragging her with him. "Mitch! Clem's here!"

Something heavy and metallic drops hard to the cement. "Shit!" Mitch curses. "Told you not to do that, Willy!"

"Sorry!"

She follows the young boy deeper into the basement and finds herself amazed at Mitch's set up. The work desk is completely covered with drills, hammers, saws, files, batteries, a few of their solar panels, and other machines she didn't recognize. Flashlights are wired in the air pointing directly at the anvil Mitch sits in front of. There's a chipped bowl filled with a clear liquid sitting on top.

"Finally," Mitch says when he sees her. Clementine's startled by his more than usual unkempt appearance- hair standing in every direction, dirtiness staining his hands, shirt and face, and the weariness lining his eyes.

"Uh, are you okay?" she asks him.

"Yeah, yeah," he waves dismissively, standing from his stool, yawning heavily as he tosses a dirty rag away.

Willy rushes to help him scoot the various tools aside so Mitch can reach something closest to the wall. It's a small, brown box.

Clementine approaches the two boys, trying to hide her eagerness as she asks, "Well? Were you able to fix it?"

Mitch scratches at the back of his neck and turns away. "Not exactly," he says, "It sorta got ruined when I messed around with it."

Her heart drops.

"Ruined how?"

"I may have broke it."

"Broke it!?"

Mitch whips around, holding up a hand. "Now, don't cry about it," he says quickly, "it was a shitty ring, anyway. Louis would've broken it himself if you gave it to him… maybe." He grabs a small wrench from the table and swings it around on his finger nervously.

"Mitch," she can't help that her voice came out so miserably angry. "If you couldn't fix it then you should've left it alone! What am I supposed to do now?"

"Woah, hey, don't freak out! Just listen for two seconds," he says. "I didn't _ mean _ to break it. We started messing around with some stuff to try and reshape it but then it snapped and James came wandering down here and the whole thing was a shitshow. There was no saving that thing. Kind of a piece of shit. So," he looks away as he shoves the brown box towards her, "We did you one better."

Willy's practically vibrating with excitement next to them as he motions eagerly to the box. "Open it! Open it!"

Clementine takes the box and pulls the lid off. It takes her a moment to process what she's seeing.

There's a clean piece of fabric bunched up at the bottom, and within the folds rests two matching silver bands. Her head snaps up and her jaw drops.

His exhausted, shit-eating grin is enough of a confirmation that what she's seeing is real.

"Oh my god!" she gasps. "Where did you get these?"

"Made 'em."

"What? You-" she blinks up at him in disbelief, "-you _ made _these?"

"Super awesome, huh?" Willy laughs. "I told'ja we had it under control!"

"The smell'll wear off, too," Mitch says, "had to polish 'em with vinegar."

Clementine carefully lifts the bigger of the two rings out of the box. "How- How did you-?"

"Quarters," Mitch smirks. "Willy here keeps a pretty impressive coin collection. Took a while to find the right ones, but we got it."

"Yeah, we made a shit ton of them!" Willy reaches into his pocket and pulls out various different rings, most of them scratched up or disfigured in some way.

"It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it," Mitch shrugs. "Willy found this old book about sailors overseas making rings for their girlfriends back home. Just gotta hammer them then drill out the middle, do some filing and hammer some more. Once me and James knew what we were doing, we used the measurement I took of your finger and made yours. That one turned out great, so we made Louis' to complete the set… and it only took us an entire day to do and there were, eh… _ complications _, but they're done."

Clementine runs her finger over the smooth surface, "This is-" she stops when she notices something engraved on it. She blinks, but it's still there scratched into the shiny surface.

_ C + L _

"That part was Mitch's idea," Willy points at the tiny letters, "had to use a really sharp nail to get it that clear."

"We've all seen the piano," Mitch quickly explains, rolling his eyes, "figured it'd be a good finishing touch. No big deal."

She puts the box on the workbench. Without any warning, she throws herself at Mitch, wrapping her arms around his now tense body.

"Woah, hey, um-!" Mitch panics and sticks his arms out to avoid touching her.

"You guys have no idea what this means to me."

"Uh-!"

He turns to Willy, bewildered. The young boy begins to laugh as he points at Mitch's panicked face. Clementine reaches out and yanks Willy forward, pulling him into the hug as well. Even then, he's still giggling like an amused child.

Then, like the realization that they're all hugging finally hits him over the head, Mitch jerks back, nearly tripping over his feet when turning back towards the work desk. He clears his throat.

"Said it's not a big fucking deal, and it's not like we did all the work, y'know. James helped, too, so just-" he grumbles, fumbling with the wrench, "-... consider it an early wedding present, or whatever."

Clementine can't help but laugh at how weirdly cute it is that he's embarrassed. She picks up the rings again to pull out the smaller one. It fits perfectly on her finger.

"I don't know if I could ever thank you guys enough for doing this," she beams, making a note to thank James in the morning. God, the ring fits so perfectly she can't believe it.

"Yeah, well, y'know," Mitch nervously scratches his cheek, a rare smile betraying his lips, "whatever."

"Mitch! Ya still down here!?" Ruby's voice echoes from the top of the stairs. "Lou's in the music room! Did'ja find the box of spare candles? We're gonna need a lot to fill the whole place up!"

"Oh, shit-" Mitch hisses.

"No one's down here!" Willy jumps into action, dashing towards the stairs and stretching his arms out. "_ Do not enter _!"

"Gah, Willy, move it!"

Clementine closes the small box and shoves it into her pocket before turning to face Ruby as she pushes Willy to the side. Ruby sets her lantern on the workbench, lighting up the basement enough for Clementine to make out the thrill brightening her eyes.

"Clementine!" she gasps.

It's Clementine's turn to receive a surprise hug when Ruby practically tackles her.

"Oh, Clem, I heard the news! Why didn't ya tell me!? This is so excitin'! Ahh! I can't believe ya didn't tell me!" Ruby pulls back to ask the boys, "Did'ja give 'em to her yet?"

Clementine slowly turns to glare at the two boys.

Willy lowers his head in shame and Mitch fake coughs into his fist. Neither of them answers the question, nor do they dare look Clementine in the eye.

"_ Mitch _-"

"Before you flip the fuck out," Mitch holds a finger up to stop her, "she's the one who came in here demanding to know what we were doing! She tried to wack me with one of Omar's wooden spoons! I had to tell her!"

"Oh, no I didn't! I said I _ would _ wack ya with one if ya didn't explain yerself!" argues Ruby. "I thought ya were makin' another bomb!"

"I haven't messed with that shit for, like, weeks!"

Clementine can already see where this is going to go, and the best thing to do is stop it in its tracks.

"Okay, stop!" She raises her voice above theirs. The basement's quiet again. She takes a deep breath. "I'm not mad."

"You sound mad," says Willy.

"I'm not. Ruby, you were going to find out about it anyway, though I can't say I expected it to go down like this. Does anyone else know?"

"No," says Ruby and Mitch.

"Uhm, well…" Willy nervously laughs.

"Dude," Mitch frowns down at the young boy.

"I didn't mean to! Aasim saw me going through my coin collection earlier! Then he started asking all these questions and it just came out! But, I made him swear on his soul he wouldn't tell anyone!"

"What?" Ruby asks. "When was this?"

"This morning."

"And he didn't say anything to me!"

"Yeah, because Willy asked him not to," Mitch says. "Keep up."

Clementine feels the beginnings of a headache coming on.

She trusts Aasim. He's never let her down in the past, and he wouldn't say anything to Louis, especially if he knows this is a surprise.

"Anyone else?" Clementine asks.

Willy shakes his head.

So, of the people in their group, AJ, James, Mitch, Willy, Ruby, and Aasim all know.

That just leaves Omar, Tenn, and…

And Violet.

She's about to speak, but Ruby grabs her hand to admire the ring. "Wow, it's even prettier on," she gleams. "Gotta say, boys, ya did a real good job."

Mitch rolls his eyes.

"Well, _ yeah _."

"How're ya gonna ask him? James and I were thinkin' that you do it in the music room, of course, and we'll help ya decorate it with candles and lanterns, make it real romantic."

"Gross," Mitch murmurs.

"Hush," Ruby warns him. "Or, on the roof, under the pretty stars! Or, we can even decorate yer dorm! Whattya think? Omar can cook ya something special and, _ oh! _ I found some real pretty classical records fer ya to play! Ya gotta set the mood, after all."

"We can make some cool fireworks, too!" Willy exclaims.

"Oh, no you won't! No bombs, no fireworks!"

"Just a few sparklers? To set the mood?"

"No! Especially if it's inside! Which I think would be best since ya never know with the damn weather."

"Wow, Ruby," Clementine's astonished at the girl's excitement. "You've put a lot of thought into this."

"'Course! I know I may be buttin' in a little-" Mitch scoffs "-but I never thought I'd get to witness somethin' like this after all that's happened! I mean, a _ wedding _ ! It's like somethin' outta the fairytales! And, listen, ya don't hafta take my suggestions. You can ask him any way ya want! Just know that we're all here to help! Oh, and the _ wedding _!"

"Oh, God," Mitch groans.

"We're definitely plannin' a wedding!"

"Geez, who's really getting married here?" Mitch asks, irritated. "You or Clem?"

"Oh, shut it! Why can't ya just be excited?"

"Excited about what? Does nothing for me."

"Y'know, thinkin' about someone else fer a change wouldn't kill ya!"

"Okay, please stop arguing," Clementine interrupts them. "At least let me get through the actual proposal before we start doing anything else."

"Shit," Ruby curses herself, "sorry, Clem. Guess I got a little excited."

"So, what's the plan?" Willy asks eagerly. "When are we going this?"

Clementine peers down at the ring on her finger, and says, "Now that I have the rings, I'm going to do it tomorrow. In the evening. I like your idea, Ruby, about the candles in the music room."

"Thought ya would," Ruby grins. "We keep a bunch of 'em down here. We'll all help ya decorate, 'cept keepin' Louis outta there might be a task."

"That's easy," Mitch says. "Send him hunting for the day, him and Aasim."

"My goodness, there's an idea," says Ruby, "that way, Aasim can keep an eye on him and make sure he don't wander back here unannounced."

"James, too," Clementine adds. "Just in case Louis doesn't listen to Aasim, or they get in a tight spot."

"Right!" Ruby claps her hands. "Oh, I'm gettin' excited again!"

"Geez, you're acting more excited than she is," Mitch jerks his thumb at Clementine.

"Believe me, I don't think anyone's as excited as I am," Clementine smiles, holding up her hand to admire the ring one last time before slipping it back in the box. "It's just a lot to take in. We just have to be careful now. Louis can't know anything."

They all turn to Willy, who hangs his head in shame once more.

"I said it was an accident."

"I know," Clementine sighs. "Maybe you should avoid him for now, Willy. Just in case. And, Mitch," she turns to him, "don't throw any more shoes at him."

"Hey, you want him wandering down here? No, you don't. Thought we established that. 'Sides, the ring's done. Nothing left for me to work on."

"Right, but still, you can't be acting all suspicious. He's already worried about you. That's why he tried to come down here yesterday."

"Pfft," Mitch scowls. "Worried…"

"Well, while we know Lou's in the music room, I'll gather everyone before they turn in and we can discuss the plan. Don't worry, we'll be discreet," Ruby assures her. "Mitch, yer on candle and match duty. Willy, in the mornin' I want ya ta go out and pick as many pretty flowers as ya can."

"Aw," Willy pouts, "how come I got flower duty?"

"It's either that or ya gotta help Omar cook. Yer choice."

Willy doesn't argue. Omar's a genuinely nice guy, but he's also an incredibly particular cook. Willy wasn't going to willingly put himself into that nightmare.

Soon, they have all the details worked out.

Aasim and James will take Louis far away to go hunting until evening, giving them a few hours to set up.

Ruby will work on setting up a little picnic area for them on the floor and figure out the music. Willy will go around with Tenn and AJ to pick enough flowers for a bouquet, as well as decorate an old vase to put them in. Omar will cook them something extra special, and Mitch will gather all the candles and place them in the safest places around the music room.

As for Clementine herself, she'll help fix things up in the piano room, but there's something else she wants to try, as well. Something that she's been contemplating for the past week.

She hides the box in her jacket with a big, dumb grin stuck on her face. She still can't believe that Mitch, James, and Willy actually made her a matching set of wedding rings. She tries not to show it, but the very thought of both her and Louis wearing them makes her giddy.

But, there's still an issue pressing on her mind.

"Ruby?" Clementine's grin is replaced with a worrying frown. "Are… are you going to tell Violet?"

And, just like that, the room becomes tense.

"Violet?" asks Willy.

"Oh, well, shoot," Ruby mutters, "didn't even think of Vi."

"Don't fucking bother," Mitch snaps. "She's not gonna give a shit, and if she does, she'll just ruin the whole thing."

Ruby looks up at Mitch with distraught eyes. "We gotta tell her, Mitch. She'll feel left out-"

"Oh, don't start with that bullshit. Why do you anyways try to include her?"

"Because whether you like it or not, she's one of us. She's family."

"Oh, please. She's an asshole!"

"You bite yer tongue, right now!"

"Well, it's true!"

"The only reason she's mean ta _ you _ is because yer a jerk ta her first! God, everyone else is decent, why can't _ you _be?"

A sick feeling comes over her. Clementine can't quite place what it actually is, but it always boils within her whenever the idea of talking to Violet strikes her.

Over the past two years, she's tried talking to Violet. Not big things. Saying, "Hello," or "How are you?" or "Are you okay?"

Every single time, Violet doesn't mutter a single word. All she gives is a glare and the view of her back as she walks away.

She told Louis how much she missed Violet once.

He watched her suffer after losing Violet as a close friend. There were a few nights just after the delta that Clementine found herself crying, and he was there to hold her, to promise her that Violet would come around, she just needed time.

Louis tried to fix things between her and Violet.

She can still remember that night. He snuck into the darkness of the room. AJ was fast asleep.

Clementine can remember the rage filling her insides when she saw the bruise forming on his face and the tears slipping down his cheeks. She barely made it to the door before Louis grabbed her, begging her not to go after Violet, that she didn't even know what happened. AJ woke up, and Louis lied about what was wrong. It was only when they were alone in the hallway that he told her what happened.

They'd gotten into an argument, Louis and Violet. An argument about her. Louis defended her and tried to understand Violet's animosity. She refused to talk. She only cussed and shoved him away.

Louis got too close, and like a reflex, Violet swung.

Violet didn't come out of her room for almost two weeks after that. She spoke to no one but Tenn when he brought her food.

She didn't come out until Louis spoke to her again.

And it all happened because of her…

"Don't worry about it, Ruby," Clementine speaks up. "I'll tell her."

"The fuck you will!" Mitch's brow furrows in fury and his fists curl.

"It's not like she'll try to stab me just for talking to her," Clementine argues.

"Oh yeah? Just like how she didn't try to stab you after the delta, right? For fuck's sake, had Louis and James not stepped in you would've had a nice big gash right between your eyes! She attacked you, Clem! And she's never said sorry or even pretended that she felt guilty about it! She betrayed us! She's a traitor!"

"Mitch!" Ruby gasps out. "Don't talk so ugly! Vi's no such thing! That was years ago and things have changed! Maybe if _ you _ put in some more effort-"

"Oh, fucking hell-"

"-then you wouldn't be so damn quick to be cruel! And y'know, maybe it is time they finally sort this out."

"Fuck that!"

Clementine straightens herself out and confidently stands up to Mitch.

"I appreciate your concern, but-"

"My_ concern _?" Mitch glares. "What, my concern that I'll have to dig your grave when that bitch snaps and puts a fucking cleaver in you?"

"She wouldn't really do that, right?" Willy says, eyes widening.

"Of course she would! She's-"

"Mitchell Robert Daymond!" Ruby exclaims, causing all of them to jump, startled. All eyes fall on Ruby's small, angry form as she points right at Mitch's face. "That is enough outta you. This ain't yer choice, and bein' a prick about it ain't gonna get yer way! Gah, ya act like Vi's some sorta- sorta _ monster _and I'm sick of it."

Mitch opens his mouth to speak, only to have Ruby cut him off.

"_ No _ ," she demands. " _ No more _."

The air becomes uncomfortably heavy as the two glare at one another. Clementine finds herself breathing slower as if a regular breath would be too much for the tension. Glancing over at poor Willy, she finds him standing close behind Mitch, still gripping his arm and looking between the two.

Only when Mitch tears his gaze away to scowl at the floor does Ruby turn back to Clementine.

"If this is somethin' ya wanna do, then we're right behind ya," she says. "Vi's not gonna be happy about it, that's fer sure, but she won't do nothin' ta hurt ya, either. I know it."

The tension in her shoulders relax with her sigh as Clementine nods.

"I know, and you're right. I'm tired of this. I don't want to spend the rest of my life avoiding her when I can try and make things right. Maybe we won't ever be friends again, but we can at least be on speaking terms." Clementine looks to her ring once more. "Louis will want her at the wedding, and if she isn't there because of me…"

"Do what ya can, Clem," Ruby smiles, placing a comforting hand on Clementine's shoulder. "Just... promise you'll be careful?"

"I will."

"Fucking shit," Mitch hisses under his breath, rubbing both hands over his face in frustration. "If you're actually serious, then you're not going alone. I'll go with you and make sure she doesn't pull anything."

"I don't think that's a great idea," Ruby objects. "Yer not exactly _ sensitive _ when it comes to stuff like this."

"Fuck off, I can be sensitive," Mitch snaps. "I mean- Not that I'd- ... It's better if someone goes with her and last I checked, you're supposed to be on watch with Aasim right now. And don't you have a plan to share, too?"

Ruby hesitates, turning to Clementine with concern.

Clementine can see why Mitch tagging along wouldn't be ideal, but she had to admit that having a backup would make her feel a little bit better. Even if he merely escorted her to Violet's room or made it known that he was only there to keep things from escalating to a boiling point- which, again, Mitch isn't the ideal candidate for this role- it'd make her feel better.

Then again, Violet might be doubly pissed to see Mitch, as well. If there's anyone she despises as much as Clementine, it's Mitch.

"You don't have to-" Clementine starts, only to have him raise his hand.

"Yeah, I don't have to do anything," he frowns. "But, I'm gonna anyway."

That gets a smile out of her.

"And you won't threaten her?"

He stares, then lowers his head in defeat.

"I won't say nothin' unless I gotta." Then, he turns to Willy. "You okay to clean this place up yourself?"

"Yeah, no problem," Willy smiles.

"Well, ehm, guess I'll get Aasim and James and tell 'em 'bout the plan," says Ruby. "Vi should be in her room. She usually turns in early when she doesn't have watch."

Before leaving, Ruby turns to Mitch with one final warning, "_Be nice_."

"Yeah, yeah."

The feeling's back, twisting in Clementine's gut and accelerating her heart.

With that, they leave the basement.

* * *

The music room is filthy.

Usually, Louis doesn't notice or even pay much attention to the cleanliness of any room within the school due to the fact this everywhere is dirty. It doesn't matter how much Ruby pushes or how many times Aasim scolds them for leaving messes wherever they go, the school will never match the cleanly standards it had prior to the end of the world.

They have more important things to think about anyway, right?

Or maybe they just can't be bothered.

Perhaps both.

But when he sat at the piano, fingers playing the keys he knew by heart, he noticed a thick layer of dust settled on the worn wood.

Swiping a finger across the top left him absolutely disgusted. To be honest, he can't remember the last time he actually cleaned the piano, but given that the layer of dust is thick enough to make actual dust bunnies out of, it's been a while.

In fact, the music room is kind of a disaster.

And he needs a better distraction anyway.

Sorting through the records he kept, he picks a classic record to play at random and gets to work.

Within an hour, he's already filled an old cardboard box with the trash that once occupied the floor, the tables, and everywhere else that garbage built up over years. Old soda cans, soiled books, broken shards of glass by the windows- all gone.

Louis wipes down the piano with an old T-shirt he oddly found beneath the couch. Pictures from what looks to be a pirate comic fill the front of the shirt and for the life of him, he can't remember whose shirt this is. Or was.

He knows he's seen it before, knows someone wore it… someone not around anymore.

Shit.

Nevermind, he doesn't want to think about that right now. Pushing that thought out of mind, he continues wiping away the dust. While the piano would always be worn, defaced, and out of tune, he still loved it and should remember to keep better care of it.

So many memories were made sitting here.

Most good, some bad.

Memories of him sitting there with clumsy fingers, young and untrained, awaiting his cue from Minnie as she finished jotting down lyrics to their song.

_ "Nevermind the darkness, nevermind the storm-" _

Memories of him entertaining Tenn when he was scared of a thunderstorm, or playing something silly to make Violet smile.

Memories of him and Clementine the night of the delta attack.

_ "You are super cute." _

_ "Cute? Wow, uhm-" _

Their first kiss.

Louis runs his finger over their initials encased in a heart, carved by Clementine's own hand that night right before he opened up to her, thanked her for being with him despite… well, everything.

God, it seems so far away.

Since then, more memories have festered within these walls, here at the piano.

_ "For once, I don't think you've thought this through." _

_ "Why?" _

Satisfied with his work, Louis tosses the shirt away. He slips off his jacket, setting it over the arm of the couch before placing himself comfortably at the piano once more.

_ "First of all, it's going to take us a million years to build all nine-hundred floors. Second, we're going to need so much paint, and even with all of us helping, it's going to take us two million years to paint it all! Third, nine-hundred floors means-" _

_ "Nine-hundred and fourteen." _

A deep breath.

_ "Excuse me, nine-hundred _ ** _and fourteen _ ** _ floors means this house is going to be high up in the stars- literally in space!- and you yourself said that you hate climbing stairs. Do you know how many sets of stairs we're going to need to make it to the top?" _

_ "We'll have an elevator." _

_ "That goes through the whole place?" _

_ "Yep. Up, down, and sideways." _

_ "That's ridiculous. I love it." _

Eyes close.

_ Clementine laughs, pushing against his shoulder as he shakes his head. Whether his chuckle is due to the madness of Clementine's floor plan, or because her fingers continue to purposely play the wrong keys, he doesn't know anymore. _

_ "Then, what about a slide?" she suggests. "A big metal slide that loops around and brings you from top to bottom in seconds." _

_ "I like it, I like it," he ponders, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Except, that won't help us in actually getting to the top." _

The cool air blows in through the open window, flickering the flames of his candles and kissing the warmth of his cheeks.

_ "What'll be at the top, anyway?" she asks. "What'll be worth climbing all those stairs to see?" _

_ "I don't know, but it has to be something special." He thinks about it for a moment. "What do you want?" _

_ "Me?" she asks. _

_ Pulling her hand off the keys, holding it in his own, he asks, "What do you want at the top?" _

Another deep breath.

_ "I don't know." _

_ "C'mon, Clem," Louis urges. "Anything you want. Name it." _

_ She stares down at their linked hand, eyes drift shut as she thinks. _

_ "Well… we have to have that skylight, right?" _

_ "Obviously, but that's something _ ** _ I_ ** _ wanted, remember?" _

_ "Well, I want one, too. If we're going to be up in space, I want to see it. Imagine seeing the moon that up close." _

_ "Maybe we'll have aliens tapping on our roof." _

_ "I hope so." _

_ He kisses her forehead, then her cheek, whispering in her ear, "What do you really want, Clementine?" _

Louis' fingers move effortlessly.

His soft lullaby fills the air.

_ "A tree," she says firmly. "An apple tree with bright red Honeycrisps, right in the corner, and it's roots throughout the floor, and-" she grabs his hand, comparing it to hers by pressing their palms together, "- a piano in the center. Any kind you want." _

_ Their fingers lace together. _

_ "A glossy, grand piano. Mahogany- the color of leaves in autumn," he brushes a curl from her face, "unbreakable and always in tune." _

_ "And you'll teach me to play?" _

_ "You willing to climb nine-hundred and fourteen floors every day for your lessons?" _

_ "Of course." _

It's been a long time since he's thought of their home- rather, their outrageous dream house that was inspired by the depressing story of how his own parents didn't get to finish building their new home.

A royal purple, nine-hundred and fourteen floor mansion with a treehouse, a skylight, and an apple tree growing on the top floor. Several pools, movie theatres, pizza parlors, bedrooms, bathrooms with hot tubs and full body showers, aquariums, roller parks- and even with all those things, they still have plenty of room left.

Louis knows the possibility of that mansion coming to fruition is lower than low, they both know that, but it doesn't make it any less fun to imagine.

How many nights did they stay up in bed discussing what kind of statue they wanted for the fountain, or what shade of purple they'd paint their bedroom, or how many dogs they would adopt, or if they were going to make Mitch sleep in the treehouse rather than giving him his own room?

Louis stops playing, chuckling to himself.

It's been a long time since he's played by himself happily, or since he's thought of composing a brand new song. Usually, when he's down here so late by himself, it's to calm down after an all-consuming nightmare-

No.

Don't think about that.

Don't think about that.

Don't think.

_ "An apple tree with bright red Honeycrisps, right in the corner, and it's roots throughout the floor..." _

Maybe he can't build Clementine an outrageous purple mansion, but he can write her a new song.

As Louis becomes lost in the music, a brief thought runs through his mind.

_ Finally... a nice night._


	6. Chapter 6

Violet's door is shut.

Clementine makes no move to knock.

Mitch stands beside her, waiting with more patience than she expected.

Her arms grow heavy, weighed down with dread. During the slow walk here, she thought of several things to say and has yet to settle on a starter. Different scenarios ran through her head, all a jumbled mess.

She hears a sigh. Mitch leans over and knocks on the door.

They wait.

He knocks again, this time harder.

Nothing.

"Shit," Mitch mutters. "Either she's not here, or she's ignoring us."

Neither option would surprise her.

"Violet?" Clementine tries, only to be met with more silence. Leaning forward, she presses the side of her head against the door, listening. Everything's still, and Clementine's sure the room's empty. Relief begins eating at her brain, giving excuses of _"Well, there's always tomorrow!"_

"Maybe this isn't a good idea," she whispers to herself, agreeing with the thoughts, knowing full well that putting this off wouldn't help the situation tomorrow.

"I coulda told you that," Mitch mumbles, knocking again.

Before she can tell him to stop, to suggesting coming back tomorrow morning, footsteps turn her attention down the hall.

Violet stands alert, her glare fixated on the two of them, arms crossed. It's enough to send any normal person to hightail it out of there, but Clementine's not frightened so easily despite the erratic nervous thumping of her heart in her throat.

"Violet-"

"What the fuck do you two want?"

Violet's voice- It's like someone injected ice into Clementine's veins.

"I-" Clementine clears her throat. Her voice feels so small, insignificant. She pushes down those anxious feelings, a skill acquired when she was far too young and dealing with tense situations such as this- if not worse- and asks, "Can we talk?"

Violet scoffs.

"It's important, Vi-"

"Fuck. Off."

Violet moves towards her. A prickle of intimidation dampens her faux confidence once they're close, face to face. Violet's glare bores straight into her, but before Clementine can address the situation, Mitch pushes her back and stands in between them.

"Watch it," he warns.

Clementine moves from behind Mitch, saying, "Please, Violet. I just want to talk-"

"I don't really give a shit what you want."

"Can you just fucking chill?" snaps Mitch. "She just wants to talk."

"Can you just go fuck yourself?"

"Excuse me?" Mitch steps closer.

"Don't," Clementine warns, grabbing his sleeve. "You're not helping."

He backs off, but not much, keeping his focus on Violet, watching the girl's every move.

Clementine tries again, "It won't take long. It's about Louis."

That catches her attention.

"Can we talk?" Clementine asks again, this time much softer. "Privately?"

"Before that, though," Mitch holds out his hand. "Give it."

Violet doesn't move.

"I know you have it."

"That's not necessary," Clementine tries.

"Consider it a precaution."

The tension between the two as they scowl at each other is suffocating.

With a sigh, Clementine reaches and pulls out the knife she always carries.

"Here," she offers it to Mitch.

He doesn't take his eyes off Violet, even when he takes the handle.

"I'm unarmed now," Clementine says. "Please, Vi…"

She breaks her gaze away from Mitch to look at the floor.

"Fine."

Violet pulls her cleaver out and tosses it down the hallway.

"You wanna talk?" She shoves her door open, turning to glower at Clementine. "Let's talk."

She walks into the dorm room, straight to her desk, taking the chair and turning it around.

Violet sits facing her, waiting.

And Clementine's terrified.

Not the kind of terrified like when walkers are circling them, or like the terror she feels when someone gets hurt or doesn't come back on time. This is a terror of facing Violet with the possibility of saying the wrong thing and shattering that little piece of lost hope for their friendship.

This is her last chance.

Mitch gives her a firm nod.

"I'll be right out here."

She knows he says it more to Violet than to her.

Clementine closes the door behind her.

They're alone.

Fuck.

Where did she even begin?

She can't bring herself to look at Violet, so she does a quick glance over the room. It's similar to hers, but with only one bed and nothing to decorate the walls. It's empty.

"Well?" Violet asks.

Clementine digs deep inside herself, deciding to be as honest as possible. Beating around the bush, or only scratching the truth never ends well.

"It's been two years," she starts. "Since we've actually talked, I mean. I know that you still hate me, and I know that I'll probably never be able to change that. I just don't understand why." She waits for a reaction but gets none. "I mean, I understand_ why_… why this whole thing started but I guess I don't understand everything. I don't want to fight with or avoid you anymore. I- ...I really miss you, Vi."

"You are un-fucking-believable."

Clementine bites the inside of her cheek. Breathe in, breathe out. She tries to ignore the absolute loathing that vibrates from the other girl, and she recalls that last time someone looked at her like that.

Eleven-years-old… a poor woman dying in the arms of a man who loved her… the fiery hatred in that single eye…

Fuck.

She can't curl in on herself this time.

"Is that really all you have to say?" Violet asks. "You miss me? Fucking really?"

"We used to be friends before everything happened. Remember my first night here?" Clementine asks. "When you came in looking for that pencil box and we talked? And the card game and-"

"I remember," Violet interrupts, "I remember being grateful to have another girl around to talk to. You said I kicked walker ass. You were so nice, and you listened to everything I had to say. For the first time in a year, I thought I found someone I could care about, even if I didn't want to admit it. "

Violet looks down at the wooden floors.

"I also remember AJ shooting Marlon. I remember everyone turning against you, ready to throw you both out right then and there. I also remember stopping them. I stood between you and a group of kids ready to tear you apart with nothing but my meat cleaver."

Violet leans forward with a burning gaze.

"You know what else I remember? I remember voting for you to stay. I remember telling them it was bullshit that you had to leave. I remember leaving you out there in the woods and then seeing that boot on your neck and shooting my bow to save your life. I was at your side the entire time, being the only one to defend you, to listen to you!"

"Vi-"

"I let you back into our school! Despite what everyone said- despite what _Louis_ said, I let you stay because I knew you were our best chance of survival, even though they couldn't see it. But, do you know what I remember the most?"

"Violet, I-"

"I remember when the raiders finally got here and the bomb went off. Everything was so fucked. They already had Omar and I saw them knock Aasim out and throw him in the cart, too. But before I could even think, I saw you fall off the balcony... Lilly point her fucking gun right at you. And _I_ stopped her. _I_ tackled her to the ground."

Violet stands.

"_I_ saved your life."

Clementine remains still, even as Violet advances towards her, slowly, one step at a time.

"And I remember looking for you."

They're barely a footstep apart now.

"And you just let them take me."

"That's not what happened," Clementine protests.

"Then, what _did_ happen, Clem? Why didn't you save me?" Violet spits. "Because I have a pretty good idea."

"What? Vi, I told you, it wasn't like that. I didn't have enough time or a clear shot-"

"Bullshit," Violet says. "Tell me the truth."

Clementine searches the fury held in Violet's eyes and finds she can't speak. She opens her mouth, stuttering.

Violet leans close, whispering.

"You chose him."

The words hang in the air between them.

"...What?"

"You chose him," Violet repeats. "He wanted you gone after AJ shot Marlon. His head was so far up his own ass that he couldn't... He wanted to leave you out there in those woods to die. He wanted nothing to do with you or AJ. And you still chose him."

"Vi, what are you talking about?" Clementine asks, baffled. "I- I didn't just _choose_ him like that, it- everything was so-"

"_I_ was there for you, not him! And you still let them take me! Why? Because Louis batted his eyes at you and said sorry?"

Now an angry warmth spreads through her now, melting the terrifying ice into liquid anger.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"The fuck I don't! You two barely said a word to each other the whole time we prepped-!"

"What? That's not true-!"

"-and then we play some stupid card game and you're suddenly putty in his hands? Suddenly you have feelings for him? You decide to play that stupid piano with him instead of preparing for our fucking doom? Like fucking around with him was more important than our lives?"

"That's not how it went down and you know it!"

Violet lets out an angry groan, turning around and kicking at her bed frame. "Just admit it, Clem, you let them take me because you cared more about him!"

"Don't twist it around like that!" Clementine glares. "I tried to save you both! And- and I went with him that night to play piano because I needed some comfort-"

"Pfft-!"

"-and I couldn't go through the raider attack without seeing if there really was something between us! I had feelings for him before everything with Marlon and I needed to know if he felt the same way. I wasn't going to have that regret with me! And- and when I saw them grab him, I didn't stop to think, I just shot. I couldn't let them take him-"

"Oh, but you were happy to let them take me?"

"No! I saved him but that doesn't mean I didn't try to save you or anyone else!"

"Bullshit!"

"Raiders were everywhere and then the walkers came in! I did the best I could to try and protect as many of us as possible!"

"Well, you did a shit job."

Clementine's nails bite into her palm as her fists tighten. Her heart is hard in her chest, it's beat vibrating throughout her entire body.

"I'm sorry that they got you, Vi, I am. I always will be, but there wasn't anything I could do except plan to save you. We all risked our lives to go back for you!"

"You should've just left us."

"How can you say that? You're here, alive, and at home because of what we did!"

"So? You have no fucking idea what it was like on that ship, Clem. What they did to us." Violet turns back to face her. "What they did to Minnie. They threatened us with inhumane things like it was nothing- Like we were nothing! Just dogs ready to be mutilated and thrown out if we didn't sit down and roll over!"

"Then how can you say that I should've left you?"

"Because at least I would've had Minnie-"

"Violet, you were there when she admitted to killing Sophie! You were there when they tried to cut Louis' hand off! When they took AJ away! They threatened you! And you still tried to stop me from breaking out! We'd all be dead if I hadn't done anything and you know it! That wasn't the Minerva you knew! How could you-"

"Do you know what it's like to lose someone twice? Someone you loved more than you could ever love yourself? No, you don't! Minnie never would've let them hurt me-"

"You really believe that? After she murdered her own sister?"

"She protected me, told me how to be safe while I was locked up! She stayed beside me for hours while Lilly-" Violet sucks in a short breath, biting her lips and squeezing her eyes shut. "...All you ever did was abandon me when I gave you so much. I never would've left you."

"If that's the case, then put yourself in my position," Clementine says, glaring. "If it'd been you with the bow, and you had to try and save both me and Minerva, what would you have done?"

For the first time in several minutes, the room's quiet.

Clementine steps back to steady herself. "You already know your answer. You would've tried to save us both but you also know that you would've tried to save her first. I wouldn't hate you for that."

"It's different- I loved Minnie-"

"I loved Louis-"

"You barely knew him!"

"I barely knew_ you_!"

"It's not the same thing, Clem! You may love him now but you didn't love him then, so don't even try and pull that shit with me!"

"Fine," Clementine crosses her arms tight over her chest. "Fine. Let me ask you this, then: Who would you have saved if it was me or Louis?"

Violet turns her back to her, still shaking with resentment.

"You can't answer that, can you? Because it wasn't a _choice_ like that. When you look back on it, it seems like it is… but in the moment, that's not what it is."

Violet says nothing.

Clementine's throat is sore, and her chest aches. Frustration wets her eyes. Her head, filled with so many thoughts and so many emotions, feels ready to cave in under the pressure of the room.

"...What do you want me to say?" Clementine whispers.

Violet shakes her head. "There's nothing you can say. What's done is done. It doesn't change anything. It doesn't change that I thought you cared about me more than you really did."

"I did- I _do_ care about you, Vi. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Because Louis sent you."

"No, he didn't."

Violet scoffs.

"He didn't," Clementine reassures. "I'm here because I want to be. I meant what I said, Vi. I miss you, and I want us to be friends again. I know that's asking for too much, that you will never forgive me for what happened. But, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Violet. I hate that I can't just talk to you like I could before. I hate that we can't play stupid card games together with Louis. I hate seeing you hide away from everyone. We all miss you."

Violet faces her again with an unreadable expression.

"Okay, Clem," she says slowly. "Say I forgive you. Say we work this out and become friends again. We'll play our stupid card games and have a grand ol' time." Violet shrugs her shoulders, weakly motioning to her. "Everything's all sunshine and rainbows. But, what happens when a new set of raiders come knocking on our doors?" She brushes her bangs out of her face, holding her hand against her head. "What happens when they break in again and I need your help?"

"That's not going to happen."

"No? It's not?" Violet gives a dry laugh. "Let me tell you what'll happen, Clem. I'll look for you and you won't be there."

Clementine closes her eyes and lowers her head. "You- You're not listening-"

"You've made your choice," says Violet. "And I won't be hurt again because of it."

She moves to the window, peering out. Clementine watches her with nothing to say. Truly, what could she say to make Violet understand?

"Most days, I hate him, too."

"What?" Clementine asks.

"Did he ever tell you what happened? After you knocked Minnie out?" Violet peers over her shoulder at her.

"That you guys jumped into the water before the boat could explode."

Violet turns back to the window and runs her finger over the glass, smudging it.

"Minnie was out cold and I couldn't wake her up. I refused to leave her and Louis refused to let me stay. So, he carried me. I kicked, punched, screamed, scratched, bit… anything I could to get him to put me down. Got him right in the chin a couple of times, made him bleed. And he just wouldn't let me go. He dragged me out and just… tossed me overboard."

Violet sighs, pressing her forehead against the glass.

"Do you know how cold the water was that night?" she asks quietly. "Or how many walkers there were?"

Clementine doesn't answer.

"…He left Minnie lying there on the boat."

Clementine knew that.

Louis confessed it to her one night after one of his nightmares, how they could've saved her from the explosion, how he tried so hard to convince Violet to get up but once the boat started rocking, got scared and threw both of them overboard.

What Violet didn't know- at least, Clementine assumes that she doesn't know- is that Louis looked back at Minerva, a guilty thought nagging him to bring her, too… only to find that it was too late.

That woman, the one Louis has nightmares about, got to Minerva first.

He cried about it until he physically couldn't anymore.

Even though Louis hated her in those last moments, hated what Minerva had become, he still occasionally wept for the girl he used to know.

"Know what he told me? After we got back?"

Clementine almost doesn't hear her she's so quiet.

Violet smiles, actually smiles. "He said he loved me. Called me family."

Clementine's lip curls, just a bit, into what could be a smile, as well.

Until Violet says, "I hate that he loves you."

"...What?"

"It drives me insane, the fact that you love each other. He thinks the world of you, y'know. He never talks about you when he's with me, but I can just see it on that stupid face of his. He fucking adores you. You and AJ." She goes quiet. "You're his family now."

"He still loves you, Violet."

"I know," she murmurs. "He tells me all the time."

"So, why do you hate him? Because of Minerva?"

"Sometimes… but honestly?"

Clementine risks taking a few steps closer.

"Because now I'm no one's first choice," she whispers. "He'd pick you first, always. He proved that after we escaped… after I attacked you. He didn't even hesitate."

After the delta ship completely sank and they all regrouped, Violet had lunged at her, knocked her to ground. But, she didn't stand a chance, not with everyone there. Not even with the knife she'd stolen off of Clementine.

"I've never seen him do that. Even when Marlon threatened you, he hesitated."

Louis stepped in front of her, shielded her from the distraught girl she once called a friend. They yelled at each other and he was ready to wrestle the knife away from her if words didn't work.

Thankfully, it never came to that.

"I'll always be taken," Violet's voice cracks.

It takes the tears spilling over to make Clementine realize she's actually crying. Her first instinct is to reach out and grab her, but then Violet turns and glares at her again.

"Violet-"

"You got what you wanted. We talked. I don't think there's anything else left to say."

That's far from the truth. There's still so, so much more.

_I wish I could take your pain away._

_I wish I could have saved you, too._

_Louis loves you. Tenn loves you. I love you. We all love you._

_We miss you._

_You don't have to be scared._

_You don't have to be alone._

And, of course, the whole reason for this.

_Violet, I'm asking Louis to marry me tomorrow._

But, she doesn't say any of those things.

Instead, she wipes tears off her cheeks.

"I'll never let anyone take you again, Vi," she musters up all her confidence. "We're family."

"...You need to leave." Violet turns her back to her one final time. "We're done."

She doesn't want to, hesitating, waiting for Violet to change her mind.

And when she doesn't, she leaves.

Mitch is there, right next to the door with a sullen expression. There's no doubt in her mind that he heard nearly every word spoken between them.

The door closes with a soft click.

His hand touches her shoulder gently.

"You okay?"

She shakes her head.

"It's late," she says. "I- ...I think it's time for bed."

Mitch nods. With a comforting hand on her shoulder, the two head down the hall.

They stop when there's an anguished scream and the sound of broken glass.

Clementine whips around and dashes for Violet's room.

The door flings open and Violet runs out. She goes in the opposite direction, turning the corner and out of sight.

"Violet!" Clementine calls.

Mitch stops her from going after her.

"She's probably going to Tenn's room," he says. "Best not to get in her way."

Shit.

Mitch watches her as she rubs at her tired eyes and pushes all the air out of her lungs in a heavy sigh. She looks over into Violet's room. The cause of the breaking glass sound is evident on the floor. From here, she can see it's a framed photo of Violet, Minerva, and Sophie.

"Look," Mitch says, "I'll follow her and make sure she gets to Tenn fine, okay?"

She glances up at him and tries to smile. "Thank you."

He pats her shoulder one last time before going down the hall.

Now, she's alone in the middle of the hallway with a lump in her throat and an overwhelming desire to be in Louis' arms.

* * *

The lantern lights up the dark dorm in a warm hue. Louis is sitting on their bed, eyes drooping as he attempts to read the book in hand when Clementine comes in.

"Hey, there you are," he says with a smile, setting his bookmark in before closing the book. "How was watch?"

"Fine."

"Anything exciting?"

"Not. Nothing exciting."

Something's wrong. Clementine won't look at him and her voice is raw. Setting the book aside, Louis gets off the bed and approaches her. She keeps her back to him as she takes off her hat and slips off her jacket. He places his hands on her shoulders, lightly turning her around.

"Clem?"

Now that he's closer, the redness ringing her eyes is much more prominent.

"It wasn't a great end to the night," she admits quietly.

His warm hand grabs hers tenderly. Her chin quivers.

"Hey," he pulls her closer, only for her to bury herself in his chest and hold onto him for dear life. He holds her tight, running a comforting hand along her back.

"What happened?" he asks.

She shakes her head.

"I talked to Violet," she murmurs against his skin. "About everything."

Louis' eyes widen.

She doesn't say any more. He doesn't need her to.

Moments later, the lantern's off and they're in bed, laying side one another in comfortable silence. Neither can sleep, so Louis grabs her hand to trace the letters of her name on the back, then her palm to make her laugh.

"That's cheating."

"So?"

"So you lose."

"Oh, so it's only okay when you cheat?" Louis laughs.

She plants a tender kiss on his chin, right where his scar is.

"Yes."

His eyes flutter shut. A grin remains on his lips.

Tomorrow is so close.

"Louis?" She whispers.

"Clementine?"

"I love you."

He doesn't hesitate.

"I love you, too."


End file.
